A/N: Okay, so when I originally wrote this, it was the opening chapter to a story. However, after leaving it for around two/three months, I decided that it'd be better as a two-shot. So I rewrote the entire thing. This is all I have written at the moment, and I don't know when I will get around to the second chapter, as I have recently started a different Delena story. But I am hoping to start the next chapter this week, maybe next week. It's only my second T rated Delena fic, so I hope it meets your expectations. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries, or any of it's characters.

** "Change means that what was before wasn't perfect. People want things to be better." **

~Metamorphosis~

Six months. It had been six months since I'd seen her. Six months since I'd been able to look into the eyes of the only woman who could make my useless heart actually feel something.

Klaus had released Stefan, nine and a half years earlier than any of us had expected. Of course he failed to mention that the only reason he was releasing him, was because he knew Elena was alive and he needed her, not Stefan. So the bastard hybrid got one of his whipped little witches to do his dirty work for him, and they snagged Elena. And we have absolutely no idea where she is or whether she's alive. Klaus needs her blood to make his hybrids, so I'd be surprised if he'd killed her, but if there was one thing I'd learnt since meeting Klaus... it was to expect the unexpected.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss her. I missed her a lot. I'd tried to track her, like I'd done with Stefan, but of course when you don't have dozens of news articles reporting animal attacks to help you, it's a tad trickier. After about three months I'd realised that I would never find her, even Bonnie couldn't seem to track her down. I felt so broken, so I tried to flip the switch... but the damn things turned against me. No matter how many times I tried, I just couldn't shut off my feelings, and it was clear to me that it was Elena's fault. How can you switch off your feelings when you're in love with Elena Gilbert? It's pretty much impossible.

I watched Stefan as he downed another glass of Whisky. Our daily routine was to sit in the grill and get wasted. At first I figured we were both mourning over Elena, but no. Stefan said all the drinking keeps the edge off of his cravings. He was lucky I hadn't locked him in the basement yet with a herd of bunnies. Getting him off the human stuff had proven more difficult than I'd expected. It took me weeks just to get him to feel again, because his switch works, yippee for him! And even once his switch was... deactivated, he still seemed far less concerned about Elena than me. Sure, he missed her, but he hadn't even tried to locate her once. When he was off biting hot chicks in Tennessee and Chicago, Elena was going out of her mind looking for him, and he wasn't even trying to return the favour. I figured that he still wasn't himself, he was still drinking blood bags after all.

I sat up, deciding I'd had enough Bourbon today. "I'm going home," I informed Stefan. He downed the rest of his drink, got off his stool and then followed me out of the grill. When we stepped outside, I could sense something off. One glance at Stefan told me that he couldn't feel it.

As we turned the corner, I caught sight of a silhouette... someone lurking in the shadows. Just as we got closer, the person stepped out of the darkness, her heels clicking against the concrete.

Stefan and I stared at her, trying to figure out which one of them it was. We both noticed there was no heartbeat coming from her, so of course Stefan started jumping to conclusions

"Katherine, what the hell are you doing here?" He huffed, his words slurring just a tad. He'd probably drank triple the amount I had.

The corners of her lips curled up into an amused smirk and one of her eyebrows rose. She looked at me, expecting me to understand what was so amusing about this situation.

I still wasn't sure that it was Katherine. Sure, the clothes were sort of Katherine's style... tight and slightly provocative. But if it were Katherine, she'd have chosen red and black. Instead she wore a white leather jacket, a tight orange tank top, a pair of faded skinny jeans and a pair of brown, lace up high heeled boots. And even though she hadn't spoken, it just didn't seem like her. The feeling I was getting, was only a feeling her doppelganger could evoke in me.

"Stefan... that's not Katherine. It's Elena," I said, unable to tear my gaze way from her. She was a vampire... she was the thing she'd never wanted to become. I couldn't decide whether I liked the fact she was no longer human. Sure, she would live forever now, and she looked incredibly sexy... but that little smirk on her face told me she wasn't as innocent as she used to be.

"Well done, Damon. I had a feeling you'd be the one to figure it out," she said with a giggle. It wasn't one of those angelic, virtuous giggles at all, it was one of those sexy, playful ones and I liked it... a lot.

Stefan tried to run up to her, his arms outstretched. "Elena, I missed you so much!" he cried, a big smile on his face. Before he could get too close to her, a big invisible shield appeared in front of her, stopping Stefan from reaching her

"Don't bother, Stefan. I didn't come back to rekindle anything, I've got more important things to do than swoon over my high school sweetheart. Besides, you made it perfectly clear in Chicago that this thing between us was over. I wasted the last few months of my human life searching for you so I could bring you home. But when I went missing, you didn't even try to find me," She snorted, annoyance all over her face. She noticed the shocked look on Stefan's face and rolled her eyes and continued, "Yeah, I've been keeping tabs on you. Mainly you, Damon. Klaus knew you were trying to track me, and he would've killed you if you got any closer. I couldn't let that happen, now could I?" She asked, the smirk back on her face.

I had too many things going on in my mind all at once. I was mesmerised by how she brushed Stefan off, he deserved it. I was also stunned by that additional power she had... but most of all, I was amazed by how she'd changed. I was scared she was a different person at first, but she wasn't. It was the same old Elena, just with a lot more confidence. She wasn't being so uptight anymore, her newfound immortality had encouraged her to let loose.

"So why are you back then, Elena? If not for me, then what for?" Stefan asked, bitterly I might add. He really was arrogant sometimes. He dumped her in Chicago, and then when he was released and she was kidnapped, he didn't even attempt to look for her. Yet, he expected her to just jump into his arms when she came home. Was he serious?

"Well, Stefan, believe it or not there are other people in this town that I care about besides you," Elena said, now looking at me. "And I'm here to protect them."

"Against what?" Stefan asked, suddenly curious. I decided to let him ask his questions before I voiced my own

"We should take this to a more private location. There's a lot to explain," she said, seriousness dominating her expression

"Sure, let's go to the boarding house," I said. She smiled at me, a soft, warm smile that had my insides tingling. Six months of not seeing her, and she still managed to drive me crazy

We all ran to the boarding house at vampire speed. Once we got there, we all strolled into the living room and got comfortable.

"So, care to explain the situation?" I asked as she sat next to me

"Well, Klaus kidnapped me, which I'm sure you already know. He told me straight away he was going to kill me, but then said I was too valuable to get rid of completely, something to do with the curse. So of course he took enough of my blood so that he could make more hybrids, fed me his blood and snapped my neck. When I woke up, he was disappointed when I told him I didn't feel any more powerful than an ordinary vampire... but I was lying. He told me to do some searching to figure out how to get my powers, which was the perfect opportunity for me to find out what powers I had and why I had them. I spoke to a ton of witches, and managed to find a few who were descendants of some of the witches who witnessed the curse when it was created," Elena explained.

"Did you find out why you had extra powers?" Stefan asked, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion

"Yes. When the curse was created, a witch made sure that the doppelganger that Klaus used in the sacrifice was protected. Obviously Klaus doesn't know the details, but the curse states that if the doppelganger used in the sacrifice is turned into a vampire, then she will be given the power to kill Klaus... but only if her intentions are pure," She told us and smiled. It was weird that she was stronger than both of us, when we were nearly ten times her age

"Why do you need to protect people here then?" Stefan said, harassing her with more questions

"Because Klaus is coming here... soon. He said that too many people here know too much, and I guess he's a little threatened because of Bonnie," Elena sighed, getting a little bored of this conversation

"How could one witch possess all that power to create such an insane curse? I mean surely she had to be really powerful to make you so powerful," I questioned, utterly perplexed.

"Believe me, I didn't understand it either at first. But then the more I thought about it, the more obvious it seemed, and those descendent witches confirmed my suspicions. What if more than one witch had created the curse? What if dozens of them joined together, and harnessed enough power to make a curse that pretty much screwed Klaus," Elena said and chuckled. I had to give it to her, she had a point.

"This is ridiculous, I'm going to bed. Hopefully when I wake up, this craziness will be over," Stefan sighed, making his way upstairs. He was lucky to be a Vampire these days, otherwise he'd wake up with a raging hangover every morning

"Ignore him, he's just being a grouch because you didn't run into his arms and proclaim your undying love to him," I said with an eye roll

"I'm hardly going to lose any sleep over it, I've had six long, boring months to realise that it just wasn't meant to be. Relationships are about give and take, but Stefan seemed to think that that meant me giving and him taking and never vice versa," She said and shrugged. I couldn't help but feel pleased that she'd finally made the realisation that she could do so much better than my selfish ass of a brother.

"So, Salvatore. What trouble have you been causing during my absence? I hope you didn't have too much fun without me," she joked, quickly changing the subject

"Hmm, it's been pretty dull around here actually. It's difficult to have fun without your partner in crime," I said, smirking at her. She grinned and rolled her eyes

"I wasn't really that fun. Except for in Georgia... that's probably the fondest human memory I have, post my parents' death," she said, a small smile gracing her lips. It was nice to know that her best memory from after her parents' death was one that she shared with me.

"I think that a lot of my fondest memories are ones that I share with you. There's this one that I've actually been thinking about a lot lately, it's been... enlightening," she informed me and threw me a pointed glance, something that she did when she was pissed with me about something

"Wow, dying has actually made you talk vaguer than you already did," I snorted. Then suddenly, I was pressed up against the wall with Elena's hand around my throat. She was all vamped out, which was intriguing. She looked hot.

"We were always close; I'm not going to deny it anymore. We knew each other better than anyone, and you knew how I felt about being compelled! You didn't give me a chance to respond, you just erased that memory thinking that it was selfless!" She yelled, frustration oozing from her. I froze, now understanding what she was talking about.

"Okay, I know it was wrong of me to do, but like I said... I didn't and still don't deserve you. And even if there was the tiniest chance you felt the same way, I didn't want to put you in a position where you felt like you had to choose... so I took myself out of the equation," I sighed, looking away. I'd completely forgotten that she'd remember me telling her I loved her.

"That wasn't your decision to make! No, I wasn't in love with you at the time Damon, but I had feelings for you. I was struggling to come to terms with that... hell, I'm still struggling now. I brushed you off so many times, yet you still tried to find me when I went missing... and seeing that made me realise that I wasn't fair to you. It's you that deserves better, not me," Elena murmured, releasing my neck. Her fangs disappeared and she took a few steps back and then continued, "I... I'm here to protect you all, that's my first priority. I can't let myself get distracted with feelings. Things have to be different this time. I'm staying until Klaus gets here, and we can spend time together until then if you wish, but as soon as Klaus is dead I'm going to Massachusetts, Salem to be precise, to get some more information on these extra powers. This time I'll be gone for good, and one day you'll forget me and find someone who was brave enough to choose you first."

She turned around and began to walk away. What the hell was wrong with us? Even when we had the chance to be something more, it still couldn't work out!

I was in front of her in a second, holding her arm to stop her from moving. "I know now isn't the time to discuss old feelings, but you should know that there is no way you're leaving here without me ever again. If you want to go to Salem then fine, we'll go to Salem. We can go anywhere you want, I just... I don't have a life unless you're in it," I confessed, looking at the ground. This was all a little too dramatic for my taste, but it was time I was completely honest with her. If she was laying her cards on the table, then so was I.

She looked at me, a slight smile on her face. "Listen, Damon. I don't even know how powerful I am yet; I've only discovered a few aspects of my powers. And I don't know if what I have so far is enough to defeat him, so there's a chance I might not even make it to Salem. So I'm going to find Bonnie now, and see if she can help me figure out what else I can do. And if I can beat him then maybe we can work on this warped friendship of ours," she said and giggled. I smirked at her, knowing she meant a little more than friendship. She took a step closer and pulled me into a hug, resting her head on my shoulder. "I missed you, Damon," she sighed, pulling me even closer

"I missed you too," I murmured, wrapping my arms around her waist. "Go and see Bonnie tomorrow, spend the night here. We can have some fun. You can show me some of your cool powers," I said, using my seductive persuasive voice and doing that eye thing that I knew she secretly loved. She rolled her eyes, instantly knowing what I was trying to do

"You're honestly going to flirt with me to stay? I thought Damon Salvatore had too much dignity to do that sort of thing," she said, smirking massively.

"Mm, normally he does, but I'm afraid that when it comes to you Elena, dignity goes out of the window," I said, grabbing her hand and leading her to the sofa. As we sat down, she stared at me, looking kind of puzzled

"You're acting weird... I mean you're not as sarcastic as usual. Is something wrong?" She asked, pressing her lips together.

"I don't know, I'm feeling nice... which is creepy. Maybe I need to get laid," I said, my eyebrows knitting together. I waited for some more of my usual crude remarks to pop into my head, but it just didn't happen.

"Wow, you really haven't changed," she laughed, shaking her head in amusement. I smiled when I heard her laugh, it'd been so long, it was like music to my ears. Ugh, Damon you're such a loser.

"Quit staring at me and start showing me some of your powers!" I said, getting excited like a little boy on Christmas. I was eager to see her do something super cool.

"Well, there are some things I can't show you because I'd harm you," she told me, a small smirk taking place on her mouth.

"Alright, Miss Arrogance," I joked and continued, "Let's go find someone to test them on!" A huge grin spread on my face. Elena burst out laughing, her eyes twinkling.

"No, let's not harm innocent people tonight," she said, still laughing quietly

"Oh, no! Please tell me you aren't on the bunny diet?" I asked desperately. It was bad enough that Stefan wasn't strong enough to drink human blood; I didn't need Elena being the same

"Nope, the blood bag diet," she said, licking her lips absentmindedly. I don't know how she managed it, but she definitely was even sexier than she was as a human

"So... anyway, if you are as powerful as you say, surely you should be able to take out Klaus?" I asked, changing the subject before I jumped her

"Well, technically speaking, a hybrid should be invincible. According to him, nothing can kill him anymore. But the witch definitely said I had the power to do it, but it takes something special to trigger it. I'm hoping I'll find my answers here, because anything involved with the supernatural can usually be found in Mystic Falls," she said with an eye roll. That was true, this place was where we found the Moon Stone, the necklace to open the tomb, and it's the birth place of the most recent doppelganger. Not to mention it's frequently visited by originals, including the original himself, Mr Hybrid. Personally, I can't see why he's so proud to be a filthy little half breed.

"You'll find your answers. I'll do whatever you need me to do to help," I assured her, pressing a light kiss to her forehead and she sighed happily

"Thank you, Damon. It's so good to be home."

Remember to hit that review button, please.

- Mia.