A/N: Written for a friend. This same story is also on my Wattpad account, so if you see it there too, know that nobody stole anything.
Happy 22nd, Alan!

Why must you always run from me?

Because I know you'll chase...

"Damon..." Elena trailed off, swallowing hard as she reached up to touch my cheek. I shied away from her, causing her olive features to pinch together in remorse. "I don't want to hurt you, I don't like doing it..."

"Then don't," I insisted, shaking my head. "Don't, Elena."

"I made my decision," she said sadly, shaking her head, ignoring my protest as she pulled my face to face her so that I would meet her chocolate gaze. "It's Stefan."

"It's always going to be Stefan," I quoted in a whisper. Elena tilted her head to the side in thought, curiosity meeting sympathy as her thumb brushed over my cheek. "It's always Stefan," I shook my head, pulling away, feeling the numb shock slowly melt into an angry bitterness.

"No, Damon, don't...don't think of it that way..." she insisted, grabbing my arm when I started to walk out of our library, yanking me around to face her.

"Why the hell not?!" I scoffed darkly, shaking my head as I pulled away, walking over to grab my glass of Bourbon off of the piano, downing it in the same second. "I mean, that's how it is, isn't it?!" She stayed silent, only encouraging me to continue. "Do you wanna know what the sad part is?" I raised an eyebrow, not waiting for an answer. "I saw this coming! I knew that it wouldn't last, that somehow I wasn't going to be good enough, but I was too caught up in you to care! I was just thankful that for once somebody decided to choose me for a change."

"I didn't mean it like that! Damon, listen to me!" She pleaded. My hand cut her off.

"I'm done listening."

"No, you-"

"What makes you think you understand, anyway?" I snapped bitterly, feeling my eyes grow icy as I stared her down. I was pissed, yes, but it was the strangest feeling, being angry with her. I wasn't even sure that it was Elena who I was mad at. For all I knew, I could have been projecting my self-hate onto her in a mild form. I really didn't know. I simply reveled in the anger that seemed to build in my chest, though I didn't bother to think it through. Not yet.

"I'm sorry!" she cried, her arms flailing as she tried to calm me down. I shrugged her off. "Damon, I'm so sorry, I've hurt you...so many times and it hurts me to see you like this, but I can't stay in a relationship where I'm lying to myself!"

"So what was it then?! First you choose my brother, then you choose me, then you choose him again! Make up your mind, Elena! You can't keep doing this, it's not worth putting yourself, or Stefan, or myself through all this! It's him or it's me, but it can't be both. As much as you know we both love you, it can't be that way forever."

Elena fell silent, her dark eyes dropping to her feet. I bit my lip as I thought over my own words. Had it really been the first time that someone had pointed that out? Was I really the first person to tell Elena Gilbert that she couldn't keep this up? That it was wrong, that this couldn't happen forever? Maybe. If anyone else had before I, it was probably my brother. Sounds like a point that he would make. He would have been kinder about it, though. He'd have explained the emotional toll that it takes on us all and how the entire feud just becomes an unnecessary nuisence, whereas I...probably could have worded it better. I could have maybe told her that I didn't want to do this anymore, that I didn't want to just sit around and wait to be put in second place anymore. I could have explained that Stefan was always the better choice and she should have stuck with it a long time ago to save us all the pain that had been caused. I could have explained how she would be far better off without either of us in her life and should go back to Matt Donovan or something. Hell, I even bet Elijah would take her. He would treat her well. He was decent, as much as I hated to admit it, though I wasn't shy to admit to him being my favorite Original. He was...good. Good enough, at least, better than the rest of us. He would treat her well and I knew he cared for her. Not like Stefan did, though. Not like I did either, but Stefan...he was what she wanted. I knew it the whole time, I really had. He was always the better choice. I had always tried to take pride in women falling at my feet, kissing the ground that I walked on when in truth, those people who kept falling didn't matter. Not as much as those who knew how to hold themselves up, strong and tall, and it seemed like I let everyone like that slip right through my fingers. Sometimes, it made me think that I really was no better than Katherine Pierce...

"I shouldn't have...um..." Elena trailed off in a whisper, pulling me out of my reverie. The anger pecked at my chest again, though it didn't hurt nearly as much as the stab of pain that jolted through my body when she reached up to touch my face again. I embraced it, tired of fighting it off. "I love you, Damon...but not the way I thought I did. Maybe it was just because you were his brother and I felt like I should love you, too. Maybe it was because you truly are the greatest friend that I've ever had and I wanted to test the waters. I love you, Damon, and I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have put you through it and I would give my limbs to change it...but I can't..." Her hand dropped as she looked away, swallowing. "I'm sorry," she choked out softly.

I had been vaguely aware of her voice. I heard what she said, loud and clear. It was like the rest of the world was muted into an ear-piercing silence just so that her words could tear through the air like fingernails on a chalkboard. "I love you, Damon." "I'm sorry." "You truly are my greatest friend." "I love you...but not the way I thought I did." I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. As if any of that were supposed to make any of it better! I mentally scoffed, feeling a pair of cool lips press delicately to my cheek before Elena walked out.

Could someone please shoot me now? I mean, it's not like it would kill me, but it would knock me out for a minute or two.

I laid in my bed, lazily staring up at the ceiling as my hand clenched the neck of my whiskey bottle at my side, not spilling it seeming to be the only thing that I cared about at the moment. I clung to it like a lifeline, which it very well might be, all things considered.

My thoughts drifted from one thing to the next before finally settling on an expected topic. I didn't get it; why me, why must I always be the one to come in second place? I mean, no way in hell was Stefan the better choice for everyone, that wasn't logical. Better choice in general, sure, but I didn't think I was all that bad to follow. I actually thought I as an alright guy. It's not like Stefan hasn't killed anyone, because for every life I've taken, he's taken only Lord knows how many more in his Ripper days. I know I'm not perfect, but God knows I try. I really did think I was an alright guy...kind of...okay, not really. He was the better choice, yeah, I got it, story of my life, but surely I couldn't be placed on that second place pedestal forever. Granted, with just my luck, I was probably just born to let my little brother's ego for bigger with each person that shot me down. I made a face.

There was a knock at the door. I groaned, setting my Bourbon on the nightstand as I slowly rolled out of bed, blinking when I was standing on my feet. I didn't want to talk to anyone right now, and honestly, the last people that I wanted I see at he moment were Elena and Stefan. I huffed as I made my way out of the room, blurring to the foyer and staring at the door for a moment. Maybe if I just stood there long enough, the nuisance on the other side would just leave.

Another knock.

I stood corrected. "Ugh," I groaned, swinging open the door, narrowing my eyes at the sight in front of me. The exact face that I didn't want to see...of course that was just the face. This face was human. Her dark curls were matted to the side of her head with a wet substance, my enhanced senses picking up on the iron-like scent that told me it was blood. Her eyes were downcast, as if hiding in shame, hiding from me in a way that I'd never seen her project. Slender arms hugged her torso as if trying to hold herself together to keep from shattering in her place. When her eyes finally lifted to meet mine, I swallowed. A swollen bruise covered her left cheekbone, shadowing the midnight terror in the doe-eyes that stared wide-eyed up at me, a deer in headlights. There was more blood. I could smell it, though I was sure she covered it well.

"Um...I-I'm sorry, I j-just..." she trailed off, shaking her head as she fumbled for words. "Just...n-nevermind, I sh-shouldn't have c-come," she stuttered, spinning on her heel and turning her back to me, nearly tripping down the stairs. I stared for a moment, noting how her usually confident demeanor had all but diminished before finally clearing my throat. "Katherine."

She paused. Her stance grew more rigid as she slowly turned to face me. "Yes?" she asked slowly, her eyes cautious.

"What are you doing here?" I sighed. I wasn't going to waste my energy on hating her. Not today, I hardly had the tolerance for bullshit at the moment as it was, I wasn't going to spoil my uneventful day even more by starting a fight. Not with Katherine.

She swallowed slowly and licked her lips, hesitant. For a moment she avoided my gaze, averting her eyes to anywhere but me before finally looking up, searching something in my face. My eyes narrowed. "It...I was, I-I didn't w-want to...and I know y-you're p-probably busy, b-but...I-I..."

"Katherine, what happened?" I demanded in a dead monotone, watching in confusion as tears brimmed in the corners of her eyes. A smart, grudge-holding side of me wanted to grab her frail-looking arms and throw her across the yard. A logical side told me that probably wasn't in my best interest. The ghost of the side of me that used to care genuinely wanted to know. I brushed it off and stuck with logic.

"S-Silas-h-he-I thought he was Stefan, but he wasn't a-and I..." she swallowed hard again, shaking her head. "I didn't know who else to go to," she admitted, her voice breaking at the end before she did the last thing that I ever thought that she'd do; her arms were suddenly thrown around my neck, tugging me down into an unexpected hug.

Not very Katherine-like, but I wasn't as taken aback as I thought. This wasn't Katherine. She was simply a girl who had been hurt, and badly from the looks of it, though I had a feeling that I had yet to see the worst. I wanted to hate her for deciding that I would cater to her every whim like I always had. I wanted to enjoy seeing the damage after all of the pain and suffering that she'd so easily forced me through, after all of my failed attempts to hurt her in return. I wanted to hate her, but I could only seem to bring myself to hate the bastard who had forced her victim, which was definitely out of character for me, but somehow, I didn't care. I probably only cared because of Elena, because she made me vulnerable and I took comfort in seeing that someone else needed comfort too, not that I'd ever admit to it.

I realized at the same time Katherine had that I'd been hugging her just as tightly to my chest, clinging my arms around her waist like a vise. I swallowed as we both pulled back, her expression wide-eyed as she came to think about what she'd actually been doing. This wasn't her, and she knew it.

"Hi..." she whispered, not seeming to know what else to say.

I almost smiled at the word choice. "Hey..." I bit my lip before letting her go.

She seemed to snap out of it, looking down. "I'm sorry, I, uh..." she trailed off.

I'd almost forgotten about the bruise on her cheek, my expression growing thoughtful. "Let's get you fixed up," I said too quickly, nearly facepalming myself when the words left my lips. That's not what I wanted to do. It shouldn't be what I wanted to do.

She gaped for a moment, shaking her head. "No...no, Damon, it's fine. I can find somewhere else-"

"Come on," I insisted, sighing as I led her upstairs to my room, gesturing for her to go into my bathroom. "I'll be in there in a moment."

I walked out into the hallway, swinging a door open that revealed a walk in closet, stepping in and locating the transparent, white box that I was searching for. Helping her out. I didn't care, I really just had nothing better to do with my time, I mean it's better than laying in my bed and brooding. That was Stefan. Not me.

I found myself surprised at the fact that she'd actually taken direction from anyone but herself, watching her solemn form as she perched herself up on the edge of the counter, her index finger tracing shapes on her arm, jumping when she realized that I was watching. "Damon."

"Katherine," I stated with raised eyebrows.

"I uh...I didn't hear you..." She looked down again.

I brought the first aid out over to the sink, opening I with a shrug. "Then you must be off your game."

"I'm not exactly a powerful vampiress anymore, Damon," she rolled her eyes.

"You know, you really had that one coming," I snapped, huffing as I thought back to Elena's story of explaining how she'd turned Katherine human after Katherine, very brutally, I might add, attacked and nearly killed her. I had to admit; the only thing that had really gone through my mind when I'd heard that is what it would be like to fight with yourself, a shadow self. I seemed to be the only one without one by this point, making me the odd man out; again. Katherine had Elena, Stefan had Silas. Everyone shared the same face with someone else in their distant bloodline. Some days I wished it were different just so I could see how my face would fare on someone else. (I had the feeling that they'd be annoyingly happy and loved by all, whereas I sat on the sidelines and took my dosage of daily ridicule.) Then another part of me, after watching Katherine and Elena, and then Stefan and Silas, I decided...nah, I'm good.

Katherine pulled me from my reverie, shrugging. "We all make mistakes. It's just a matter of whether or not we acknowledge them."

I rolled my eyes, not in the mood to start an aimless banter. I reached for a clean wash cloth that I'd had sitting on the counter, dampening it before gently attempting to wipe a smear of dried blood from her neck, revealing a long gash. Ouch, I thought to myself, sighing.

"Why are you helping me?" she asked curiously, watching my face carefully, wincing when I brushed the cloth over her tender skin. "After everything I've done to you..."

I pursed my lips for a moment. "Because I have nothing to lose."

"Elena-"

"I can't lose Elena because she's not mine," I interrupted, shaking my head and looking down. "She never was. She was always Stefan's...just like everything else," I muttered more to myself than her.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. "It won't be like that forever, Damon."

I raised an eyebrow as I stared into the basin of the sink, dropping the cloth back onto the counter. "Oh? And what makes you think that? Have a change of heart, Katherine? Keep in mind that as far as my record of second place ribbons go, you were the one to hand me like a life-sized plaque...so don't pretend you're sorry."

She flinched, her hand dropping from my shoulder as if I'd shocked her, reaching to grab the wet cloth instead and picked up where I had left off. "I am."

"Am what?"

"Sorry. I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"You never were before," I rolled my eyes.

She huffed. "Yeah, well, I am now."

"Why?"

"Because I get it, Damon." She gently pulled me over to stand in front of where she sat on the edge of the counter, causing me to make a face, though I didn't fight her. "Damon, I was exiled from my own home...and I know that sometimes, you feel your father was on the verge of doing the same to you...he was awful to you, I know, I saw it back in..." She trailed off and looked down. "Look, I'm not going to pretend like I've changed...because I haven't. Just because I'm human again doesn't mean that I magically became a good person. I'm still...awful, selfish...bitchy, sarcastic, materialistic. I even keep a spare curling iron in my glovebox," she tried to joke as she glanced up at me again, though it hardly touched the chocolate iris of her eyes, seemingly warm for the moment, though rather hooded, wary. "If I were to be honest with you, would you believe me?"

"Probably not," I admitted softly, biting my lip for a moment.

She nodded, clearing her throat before continuing. "It doesn't matter if you believe me."

"Believe what?"

"That I cared," she whispered. "That I still do."

"No, you didn't," I shook my head. "You proved that to me a long time ago."

"You're finding it hard to believe that I would lie, Damon?" She scoffed. "I do that a lot. Expecially to you. I did love you, you know," she pointed out, shooting me a dark look when I tried to protest. My mouth clamped shut, internally sighing. "I loved you. Not as much as your brother, but I did, regardless as to how much."

"Then why do everything you've done?!" I finally scoffed, pushing away from her. "Don't mind the fact that so much of it has effected me, Katherine, I just don't see logic! If you cared about either of us, at all, then why did you leave? So long ago, 1864, why did you leave? We could have helped you, something!" I was in front of her again, resting my hands gripping the edges of the counter on either side of her. "Why did you leave?"

"I was scared," she admitted softly. "I'm selfish, it's what I do. I run when I get scared...why else would I have been alone for half a millenium?" she asked rhetoricaly, sighing. "If it makes you feel any better, I probably saved your lives by letting you two go. With me you'd have wound up dead within a year."

"We might have surprised you," I whispered, feeling a wall crumble that I hadn't even known I'd built. I didn't want to touch on this topic, I didn't want to make it seem like I still missed her or something when I had no good reason to, but it was inevitable.

"You always do," she shook her head, sighing grudgingly. "You Salvatore boys always surprising us Petrovas. We never know what you're going to do, even when we think that we know you inside and out..." She trailed off, biting her lip. "Do you trust me?"

"No," I admitted slowly. "Do you trust me?"

"No," she agreed. "But I'm sorry."

I looked down for a moment biting my lip. She meant it, I could hear it in her voice, and a part of me hated her for it. I knew I would regret my reply, but in all honesty, I didn't care. I looked up. "Apology accepted."

"Thanks..." Katherine nodded slowly, glancing down. "I mean it...thanks for...patching me up, for talking, for...always keeping me in your sights as a burdening weakness. I took advantage and there's no saying that I won't again, but promise me that you'll remember that in this moment...thank you, Damon."

"Shhh..." I shushed, shaking my head as I pressed my finger to her lips. "No. No more saying nice things to Damon. Say too much and he'll think you're kissing up to him."

"Damon deserves to have better things said about him," she defended, pulling away from my finger and crossing her arms.

"See! Things like that!" I shook my head, hearing her scoff as she hopped down from the counter.

"Fine, then. Grab your wallet, you're taking me shopping," she said sharply, tossing the wash cloth into the sink when she was clean again. Her hair damp in a spot where she had carefully managed to strip her brown curls of remaining traces of blood, nudging me as she passed by and walked back into my bedroom, skipping over to the walk-in closet.

Old-Katherine was back. Fantastic.

"Why would I do that?" I raised an eyebrow, walking out to lean against the wall.

It was a few moments before she answered, walking out in an expected ensamble of Elena's skinny jeans and a skin-tight top that hugged every curve and covered every flaw. Even after a beating with bruises and cuts that wouldn't heal nearly as fast as she was used to when she was still a vampire, she still had her same killer confidence, proud of herself for merely existing. So Katherine. Well, it looked like all sentimental talk was over. "Did it look like I was asking?" Her voice was rhetorical as she casually walked over to me. "You know, as much as I hate Elena, the humanity-less verison of her reminds me a lot of...well, me," she joked dryly, gesturing down to her clothes. "By the way, I wasn't kissing up to you."

"Oh?" I rolled my eyes sarcastically, shaking my head as my gaze dropped down to my feet.

A pair of black heels invaded my vision. I narrowed my gaze and glanced up at her face. "Damon, if I were kissing up to you, I'd do it like this," she whispered, letting her lips perk into her classic sly grin before her fingers were suddenly tugging down my shirt collar to crush her lips against mine.

I didn't shove her away, I didn't want to. The feel of her lips was too familiar, and I didn't mind. It wasn't anything like the countless times that she'd all but jumped me since hating each other. The kiss was over a century old, an antique blend of passion and heat that I had only known in the better moments of my human days. Katherine knew she still my weakness and had always loved to throw in my face how much I had projected my love for her onto Elena, finally making me wonder if it wasn't really her rejecting me the whole time...but maybe I had been the one rejecting her.

No matter what I had been doing wrong the whole time, I knew that the one thing that I had done right was let Katherine into the house tonight.

Then let me chase you forever.

A/N: Gotta love when Datherine goes soft! Please reivew. ;)