Chapter 1

Katherine had been watching Elena for a few weeks now. She'd followed just about every move Elena had made. She knew her habits, her friends, even her class schedule. She also knew that Elena was sleeping with Damon. Her Damon. Well she wasn't going to allow that to continue for much longer. When Katherine changed Damon 145 years ago he vowed to love her forever. To be hers forever. Then the witches got stupid and found themselves burned. Then the founding families went on a hunt for the vampires. She and Damon were seperated. Damon said he'd find her and some how get her out of the tomb where the vampires were being taken. He never did. Well the joke had been on him. She'd never been caught. She was too smart for them. Always one step ahead.

Word had gotten to her that Damon was back in Mystic Falls. Longing for her. Thinking she was still bound to the tomb under the old Fells Church.

In 1864 one of the witches escaped the burnings by giving information to the founders about the vampires. Emily was the one who put the spell on the tombs. Trapping the vampires for eternity. Katherine had been forewarned and was able to escape entrapment. Katherine eventually caught up to Emily and killed her. An eye for and eye.

Now here she was again in Mystic Falls. To claim what was rightfully hers.

"You will be mine again Damon."

Damon and Elena were spending some much needed time alone. Lately they had been hanging out a lot with Elena's friends. She wanted them to get to know him. He was a different person now. She'd awakened in him the person he had been as a human so many years ago.

This weekend though Damon wanted Elena all to himself. He made arrangements for a quiet little bungalow on the ocean. In a sleepy little town where no one knew them. It was like being in heaven. They spent the previous evening walking through the little village window shopping and ate at a little outdoor cafe. It was obvious to anyone who saw them that they were in love and some may have thought they were honeymooners. Walking by a little antique store something in the window caught Damon's eye.

"Hang on, lets go in here for a minute." Damon said.

Damon asked the woman behind the counter to see the necklace that was hanging in the window. It reminded him of something his mother had worn years ago. At a closer look it could almost have been hers. The odd thing about it was that he'd given the necklace to Katherine before she'd been put in the tomb.

"Do you know where this came from or anything about it?" He asked

"Not exacly sir I bought it from a pawn shop a few weeks ago." The woman told him. "I assure you it's not stolen" she continued.

He smiled at her. "No I'm sure it's not. My mother had something similar." He told her. "Elena come here and look at this."

Elena was down the counter looking other things. "It's beautiful Damon."

"Lets see how it looks on you." Damon stepped behind Elena and fastened the necklace around her neck. Damon could never get over the resemblance between Elena and Katherine. Infact Elena was an exact duplicate. She didn't know this of course but that wasn't the reason Damon had fallen in love with her. That had been his brother Stefans attraction to her. "Do you like it?"

"I love it. It's beautiful." she said.

"Not as beautiful as you." he said and kissed her cheek. "Do you take credit cards?" Damon asked the sales lady.

Damon and Elena spent the rest of the night in eachothers arms. Making love. Enjoying eachother. Damon couldn't believe how lucky he was to have found the love of his life a second time. After all the problems they'd had. All the conflict. She never gave up on him. She wouldn't let him give up on himself.

The next morning Damon found Elena out on the patio drinking coffee looking out at the ocean. She jumped as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Hey why so jumpy?"

"I don't know. I've had this weird feeling for a couple days." She said

"What kind of weird feeling."

"Like I'm being watched or something. The other day I swore someone was in my house."

"Elena why didn't you say something about this?" Damon asked

"Because I'm sure it's just my imagination."

"Well maybe, but I think you should come stay with me for a few days."

"Do you think that's a good idea? I mean, Stefan's still pretty messed up about everything isn't he?"

"You just let me worry about Stefan. He won't be an issue."

Elena snuggled closer into Damons arms. The breeze off the ocean was cool. He made her feel safe, warm and content. For so long she thought Damon's brother Stefan was the one. The love of her life. How wrong she had been. After she and Stefan had broken up and he'd abandoned her on Wickery Bridge and almost killing her, Damon had been the one to pick up the pieces. He worked himself into her heart and she hadn't let go.

Elena watched as the world came alive. Looking up and down the coastline Elena noticed a woman in the distance who seemed to be watching them. Her long dark wavey hair was blowing out behind her in the wind. She looked familiar somehow but Elena couldn't place her from this distance.

"Damon do you see that woman down there?"

"What woman babe?"

"That woman down there watching us."

"You think she's watching us?"

"I..no I guess not."

"Something really does have you spooked. Come on lets go inside. I'll make you breakfast." Damon followed Elena toward the door and glanced back at the woman down the beach. She did seem to be watching them.

Katherine watched Damon and Elena go back into their little love nest. "We'll be together again soon Damon" She said knowing he'd probably hear her voice like a whisper from this distance. She saw the puzzled expression on his face as he closed the door.

"What's wrong Damon?" Elena asked after seeing the expression on his face.

"Huh? Oh nothing. Lets get some breakfast." Damon went to work in the kitchen.

Katherine spent the rest of the weekend stalking her prey and plotting her next steps. As more time passed the more angry she got and the more angry she got the more she wanted to tear Elena limb from limb, but the more she thought about it she realized Damon wasn't innocent in all of this. He hadn't lived up to his vow. Then again, what better way to get back at Damon than to take out his precious Elena. The wheels were turning in her devious mind. She needed to get back to Mystic Falls. Maybe recruit a little help from another vampire she knew. Stefan Salvatore.

She'd heard that Stefan had gone through a sort of morality change. He'd lost control of his humanity when he was forced to drink human blood again. Which Katherine thought was rather pathetic. The boy needed to get a grip, but the situation was about to work in Katherine's favor.

Katherine sat in her car across the street from the boarding house trying to decide how to approach Stefan. Knocking on the door was just a little too boring. Katherine prefered the more dramatic approach. There had never been anything boring about Katherine.

Katherine silently walked up behind Stefan who was standing by the window. "Hello Stefan." she whispered in his ear and in the blink of an eye was gone as Stefan spun around.

"Who's there"

"Why it's me Stefan don't you recognize my voice" She said from the top of the stairs. Stefan turned slowly to the sound of Katherines voice. "I bet I am the last person you expected to see"

"Katherine" He said. Shocked.

"That's right Stefan." She said suddenly standing so close he could smell the scent of her shampoo. "have you missed me?"

"What are you doing here? How did you get out of the tumb?" Stefan asked

"I was never in the tumb. Do you really think I'd be that stupid Stefan? Me? Silly boy. No. You see I had help and I escaped."

"what do you want Katherine?"

Katherine walked around the room taking in the decor. Taking books off shelves. Picking up trinkets for her inspection. Pouring herself a drink she said, "Nice place Stefan. Not my taste in decor but we can't all have my taste can we."

"Answer my question Katherine."

"hmm what question was that Stefan?"

"Lets not play games Katherine. You want something. What is it?"

Katherine rolled her brown eyes. "Stefan you always were such a bore. Probably why I was never really attracted to you" she said thoughtfully. "hmm, anyway, I need your help."

Stefan laughed, "You need my help? What could you possibly need my help with?"

"oh just a little thing. Killing Elena and claiming Damon back." Katherine pressed herself against Stefans body seductively. "You can help me with that can't you Stefan?" She said playfully acting as if she were going to kiss him.

Stefan's temper took over and suddenly he and Katherine were tearing the house apart. "Don't make me kill you Stefan. You know I'm stronger than you ever thought of being." Katherine said after pining him to the floor and holding a broken piece of wood over his heart.

"Why do you have to kill Elena?" Stefan said throwing Katherine off of him. "What's she done to you?"

"She's sleeping with Damon or haven't you noticed."

"believe me I've noticed, but what's that got to do with you?"

"It's got everything to do with me Stefan. Damon is mine and I've come to claim him. Now you can either help me or not, either way I will eliminate Elena. Think about it. I'll be in touch." Katherine opened the front door and turned back to Stefan, "You look good Stefan. Nice seeing you." With a wink and a wave of her fingers she was gone.