Prologue
"Jenna, this is all my fault," Elena whispered, sitting next to her aunt's hospital bed. "If I would have just done what Katherine wanted me to, you wouldn't have been in danger and you wouldn't be here." Tears slipped down her cheeks as guilt hit her like a semi. All of this was her fault. She had thought she and Stefan could get away with it and her aunt had paid the price. Her family could be in danger if she saw him again.
Silence overpowered every other sense in the room. Even the buzz of the machines seemed muted, far away. It was as if the entire world was bearing down on her and knew what she had done. What she had risked. And everything in her mind was screaming at how selfish she was, how much she had given up for a little time with someone she couldn't even have a future with.
Soft footsteps invaded her private hell, bringing her eyes up and to the door. Jeremy and Alaric stood there, both looking at her with clear pity in their eyes. She didn't want to see it. They shouldn't feel bad for her. They shouldn't be hugging her shoulders. They should have been yelling at her, shunning her. It was all her fault that Jenna was hurt and they were acting as if it were an accident.
"Elena, don't beat yourself up," Jeremy was saying, rubbing her back comfortingly. "If you blame anyone, it should be Katherine." His tone was tense and his fists clenched on her back. There was an angry pause, then he murmured, "She's gonna get what's coming to her. I'll make sure of it."
A flash of fear swept through her. She was on her feet without hesitation and she screamed, "You're going to stay away from her, even if I have to lock you in your room!" She shook him, trying to control the fear filling her. "You have to promise me that you won't go after her yourself! She's dangerous!"
Alaric was there suddenly, pulling her away from her shocked brother. "Elena, calm down. Someone is going to hear and wonder what's going on. We have to be extremely careful with what we say anywhere."
The history teacher pulled her into a hug, though it wasn't as awkward as one would think. At that moment, they weren't teacher and pupil, just two people that cared for the same woman that was lying just a few feet away. So Elena let herself cry into his shoulder, uncaring of whether anyone saw. She felt all the weight of the world crashing around her and nothing was going to stop her pain.
"Uhm, Mr. Saltzman? Can we please speak privately in the hall?"
The uncomfortable doctor shifted as if to show Alaric the way out, moving to the side to follow him from the room, leaving Elena and Jeremy alone in the sterile room. Neither looked at the other, but both knew what the other was thinking. That's what it was like to be close siblings; you just knew.
"It must be bad news," Jeremy noted sadly, turning away and hiding his face from view. She could hear the choking sound in his voice. "They must be worried about her getting better."
Elena said nothing. She didn't dare. Anything she said, any apology or explanation, would just sound stupid compared to what they were going through. It wouldn't mean anything. Everyone knew that hindsight was twenty-twenty. And she should have just listened to her vampire ancestor to begin with.
"I'm sorry," she finally mumbled. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her brother turn towards her. "It's my fault this happened. I shouldn't have risked my family's safety just for more time with Stefan. I mean, it's not like I have any real future with him, anyways." With that, she left the room, walking right past Alaric and the doctor, who looked at her with concern.
"Elena, where are you going?" Alaric shouted down the hall, moving after her. When she didn't slow down, he jogged towards her. "Elena!"
She walked faster, nearly running down the hall now. She had to get out. She couldn't stay and be coddled by people that should be hating her for what she'd done. It was all her fault and they acted like it didn't matter.
Finally, Alaric caught up with her and grabbed her arm, spinning her to face him. "Where are you going? You have to be careful out there; Katherine could come after you next." His eyes searched hers and she felt like he thought of her as a surrogate daughter. She didn't deserve it.
Shaking off his hand, she said, "I'm going to tell Stefan that it's over. Then I'm going to go home and try to make up for almost killing my aunt." She spun on her heel away from him and was out the door in the blink of an eye. She knew that Alaric was no doubt staring after her, wondering what he should—or could—do, but she couldn't let anyone else fix this for her. She needed to take care of this by herself, otherwise Katherine wouldn't accept it.
Her footsteps echoed ominously in the quiet parking lot and there was a ringing in her ears. Something about the silence bothered her, sending chills up her spine and quickening her already fast pace. Though at that moment she couldn't know for sure whether it was just paranoia or if she really did have someone watching her, Elena didn't want to take any chances. She had her keys out and ready and held her aunt's real vervain perfume in her hand, hoping it would act as pepper spray for any vampires she might encounter.
The drive to the Salvatore boarding house was long, giving her time to think. Could she really be strong enough after a night like this to turn away from Stefan, from the love she felt for him, forever? She felt so emotionally drained, she didn't know if she could stand it. She realized that she wasn't strong enough to give up on him even with Jenna lying in the hospital after almost killing herself.
Spinning the wheel, she made a sharp U-turn and went back home. She would go to him in the morning, maybe just at school. A public place would be easier, she knew. That way, she wouldn't have to decide when to walk away from him. The bell would take care of that.
Every light but the one on the porch was out, leaving her with a feeling of emptiness. She'd never seen her house without at least one indoor light on, not even after her parents had died. But now, she was alone in a big house that held too many memories—good and bad. She didn't know whether to be glad for the time to sink into her own mind or upset.
Slipping out of her car, she locked her doors, making sure to ready the key to her house, just in case there was a new vampire lurking around. Ever since she was brought into this world of magic and mystery, she'd learned to keep herself as protected as possible. If that meant always having something sharp around, she could handle that. And if that didn't work, she could at least incapacitate her attacker until she was in her home. There, she could deny them entrance until the end of time. Or maybe just sunrise.
That feeling of being watched brought the hairs on the back of her neck back up again, bringing her mind to play tricks on her. She could have sworn she saw someone standing on her porch, but in the blink of an eye, the feminine silhouette was gone.
She shook her head, knowing that she needed to start worrying more about protecting her family rather than focusing on vampires. At this point, Katherine was probably gloating about her victory, despite using such underhanded tactics. And if she wasn't around, what other she-vampire was out there looking for Elena?
The doppelganger should have known better. When she entered her own home, she should have remembered that no one had been thinking about turning off the lights as the ambulance had flown into the driveway. She should have listened to those instincts telling her that something was off, that someone was watching her.
If she would have, maybe she would have had time to run away.
Scene Change!
"I just got a call from Alaric," Damon said quietly from the doorway of his brother's room, watching Stefan swallow the liquor in his glass in a single gulp. "Jenna was touch and go for awhile, but now she's stable. They want to keep her there for a few days just to keep an eye on her, but they'll probably release her before the week is out."
Stefan said nothing, just poured himself a little more. His hands were shaking as he slammed back some more, flinching at the bite of it in his raw throat. "It's all my fault. If I had just backed away from Elena, wouldn't have let myself think that I could get away with it, this wouldn't have happened." Anger swelled within him. He picked up his desk and threw it across the room. "It's all my fault!"
Damon was instantly by Stefan's side, holding the arm that had thrown the desk. "Stefan, it isn't your fault!" When his younger brother tried to break the hold, the elder Salvatore simply threw him across the room, planting a boot on Stefan's chest to hold him down. "Yes, it was naïve of you to underestimate Katherine's power. But it isn't your fault that she gave you this ultimatum. You did everything you could. So stop will all this self-pity bullshit and help me figure out a way to kill her."
A soft chuckle came from the open doorway. Both brothers' gazes slowly moved to where a curly-haired brunette stood, smirking at them. She took several slow, sashaying steps into the room, acting as if all were right in the world.
"I see you finally woke up to what I meant by 'remove her from your life'," Katherine murmured as the brothers moved to their feet. "And how very unfortunate that poor aunt Jenna was the one to pay for your mistakes. It most certainly is yours and my little doppelganger's fault that she's on her deathbed now." Though her voice was a purr, her words were like venom, sending the pain of guilt through Stefan's body.
Damon instinctively took on the big-brother-protecting-little-brother role with a step forward, almost blocking Stefan from view. "Is that all you're here for, Katherine? To brag about how you almost killed some human woman?" The words were coming out of his mouth without much thought, his anger fueling the mocking tone of his voice. "And you call yourself a real vampire?" he scoffed, though he was mentally berating himself for his stupidity.
Wasn't his inability to control his mouth the whole reason they were in this mess? If he hadn't taunted her with Mason's death, maybe Jenna would be in the Gilbert house, whole and happy. Instead, he'd gotten her compelled to kill herself. And it was really his fault. He had to provoke the beast that Katherine was and Elena was paying the price for it.
"Oh, Damon. You always had such beautiful eyes and wicked words," Katherine mocked, running a finger along the underside of his chin. Her face moved closer to his, as if she were about to kiss him. "I love that about you," she murmured, a hair's breadth away from his lips.
"And you're a conniving, manipulative bitch." He stepped back just a foot, returning her smirk. "If I had the chance, I would kill you for that."
Stefan stumbled closer to her, the alcohol hitting his system hard. "Katherine, you're involving innocent people in something that's between us. There was no reason for you to hurt Elena's aunt Jenna." His voice was quiet as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. "If you wanted to come after Elena and me, you should have been direct about it!" How his voice had gone from so low to so loud in just a few words was enough to shock both of the other vampires in the room.
And when he moved so fast that neither of them could see him, his hand clenching around Katherine's throat menacingly, Damon was completely taken off guard.
Stefan's face was contorted with his fury, mere inches away from Katherine's wide eyed features. He slammed her head back on the old wall of his room, leaving a dent there. "I'm going to rip you apart with my bare hands," he snarled, fangs lengthening in his mouth.
Just as suddenly as he had her pinned, Katherine had his throat in her hand, laughing in his face when his breath was cut short. "You look so…sexy when you're angry, Stefan." She brought his face closer to hers, smiling. "I just wish you wouldn't waste time with that lookalike me when I'd gladly offer you the real thing."
Damon broke her hold on Stefan and threw her across the room. "Elena is nothing like you, Katherine. Don't ever act like you're better than her." He didn't even try to stop his response that would no doubt cause more tension between him and his little brother. How was that any different than it had been ever since Katherine had wriggled her way into their lives?
Standing, she wiped the remainder of the table that she'd broken through off her clothes. She crossed her arms over her chest and took measured steps towards the brothers as if they were her prey. "Damon, you know why you were so in love with me, don't you?"
He swallowed hard. He didn't want that drudged up again. He didn't want to remember that, just as Elena was now doing, Katherine had chosen to love his brother over him. He didn't want to think that the feelings that he'd had for her were nothing but mind control.
"I compelled you to love me, to devote your entire being to me. And you took that compulsion all the way to your death and new life." Tilting her head to the side, she added in a childishly faked compassionate tone, "Poor wittle Damon. Thinking that he could ever beat his little brother in the game of love."
Of course, he knew that she was just trying to antagonize him. And he knew that he shouldn't take the bait. But he did.
Lunging for her, he met air, knew that the presence at his back was her, that she was about to hurt him in a very bad way. So he tried to dodge.
Of course, she beat him to the punch.
He felt the vervain covered dagger pierce his stomach before he knew what was happening. Burning pain spread through his body, even as he heard Stefan gasp in a harsh breath. Knowing that she must have done the same thing to Stefan that she'd done to him, Damon tried to bring himself upright.
Katherine's boot to his back stopped him from doing that. Leaning down to whisper in his ear, she grabbed his hair to hold his head back and purred, "I'm going to do the worst thing you or Stefan could imagine in such a situation. By tomorrow morning, both of you are going to be wishing that you'd done as I told you in the first place." She threw his head to the floor and he knew she was out the door in a matter of seconds.
Rolling onto his side, Damon breathed, "She's…she's going…after Elena." He continued trying to bring himself up from the floor, but the pain was so excruciating that he couldn't even do something as simple as that.
"We have…to save her," Stefan replied just as harshly. His hand was clutched at his wound, which dripped vervain onto his hand, causing more burning.
At this pace, there wasn't a chance of them saving her. For the first time in his century and a half of undead living, Damon Salvatore felt completely vulnerable and weak. There was nothing that he could do to protect the woman he loved from the woman that wanted to kill her.
He had to save Elena.
Scene Change!
Elena stood in front of her mirror, getting ready for bed. She didn't like the sounds her creaky old house made whenever the wind blew. On edge from the whole day leading up to that moment, she jumped at every gust that shook her house. Somehow, though, she'd forgotten her fear long enough to shower and blow dry her hair, but now she was left with shadows and silence that made her even more paranoid than she ever had been.
It was as if the house were talking to her, telling her secrets and stories. Whenever there was a high groan, it was like it was trying to tell her of a tragedy. She couldn't tell whether it was in the future or past, but it grabbed her heart and squeezed, bringing a lump into her throat.
You have nothing to worry about, she thought to herself. It's just an old house that creaks in the wind. Brushing her hair, she tried to think about something other than vampires and death and what had happened to Jenna. Maybe she would actually be able sleep that night if she could focus on anything else.
She heard the door open and close downstairs, drawing her out of any thoughts she might have almost been able to change her worries to.
"Jeremy?" she shouted out her door, leaning into the hallway. When no response came, she added tentatively, "Alaric?" No response once again. So, she crept into the hallway one step at a time, slowly searching for something that could have made the noise. "Is somebody home?"
She half expected her brother to appear at the end of the stairs, putting a finger to his lips to signal silence. Maybe Jenna had just needed stitches and had come home. Maybe Jeremy had followed her home, wanting to make sure she was okay.
And maybe she could really convince herself that a vampire wasn't lurking in the shadows, waiting to attack her.
Shaking her head, Elena went back into her room, sliding into her bed. She didn't have the energy to write, though she definitely wanted to talk to someone about what she was feeling. But was there really a point? Anything she said would just sound stupid and selfish.
A chill went up her spine and she spun to find herself alone with a very angry vampire.
"K-Katherine. What are you doing here?" she stammered, taking a step back. Her eyes filled with tears at the reminder of what had happened to her aunt. "I'll do what you want. I'll stay away from Stefan, no tricks. Just please don't hurt my family anymore." Noticing that her vampire ancestor didn't move, Elena didn't even bother to continue groveling. Whatever Katherine wanted to do, she would, even if Elena begged her not to.
The vampire slowly moved closer, sniffing with disdain at some of the things in Elena's room. "Oh, poor Jenna. You think that I couldn't make life so much worse for you? Of course, I could, but I'm feeling particularly lenient today. I just have one thing that I need to do before I leave here, and everyone will be just fine." She dragged her index finger lazily across the vanity that stood just across the room from her doppelganger, a small, sinister smile on her face. "In fact, you won't even be hurt by this," she noted dryly.
Elena backed away from Katherine, suddenly terrified for herself. Never had her sense of self outweighed her sense of family and protecting them. "Wh-what do you mean?" she asked hesitantly.
In a flash, Katherine stood in front of her, her hand holding the fragile container of vervain at her neck. "Why do you keep this even though it was a gift from Stefan? Is it because you secretly believe that you will someday be able to see him again, that he'll be able to protect you just so long as you wear this?" Though her voice gave nothing away, Katherine did look particularly peeved about this.
"I just want to be protected from mind control. It works the best." A full two statements without stuttering like a fool. She was making progress.
Clucking her tongue, Katherine murmured, "Oh, but you're wrong about that." Tightening her hold on the necklace, she tore it free. "The best way is to ingest it. That way, it can't be taken away without time and effort."
Elena gasped when Katherine's hand found her chin, holding her face in place to make her stare into her eyes. She knew what was coming. There was a compulsion that would overtake her ability to think freely about whatever the vampire wanted from her.
"First, I'd like to ask you a few questions. Number one—answer me truthfully—do you have feelings other than friendship towards the other Salvatore brother, Damon?"
There was a tug in the back of her mind, but only one simple phrase came out. "I only think of Damon as a friend."
Katherine rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I meant to direct this at your subconscious. Do you have feelings for Damon?"
Abruptly, Elena was forced to relive every moment of her time with Damon. When they'd first met and he'd been so polite. When they danced together at the Miss Mystic Falls pageant. When he'd almost died after her biological father had let loose Jonathan Gilbert's invention on the town. Even when he'd tried to protect her from going into the house full of tomb vampires.
But there were also the times when he'd almost killed her or had tried to kill her friends. He'd almost turned her just to get Katherine back. Could she really trust him, even when he hadn't compelled her in Georgia?
"I don't know." The words were forced out of her mouth. "If I knew I could trust him, I would love him."
Heat rose in her face. Had she really just admitted that to Katherine? Of course, she hadn't been able to help herself. Maybe she had really been compelled to just feel that way.
"Ah, I see," Katherine murmured. "Well, anyways, why did you sneak around with Stefan when you knew I would literally rip apart anyone you cared for?"
"I love him and I didn't want you to win."
The centuries old woman snarled at that, her face twisting. "You thought you could beat me? Well, it's a good thing I'm always three steps ahead of you then, isn't it? It looks like I'm going to have to take matters into my own hands now, since your protectors are no doubt on their way right now to rescue you."
Elena saw the pupil shift and knew that whatever Katherine was planning would be painful for her, Stefan, and Damon. She wished she could look away from the eyes identical to her own, but she was held there and completely at Katherine's will.
"If you live through tonight, you will forget everything you know about the Salvatore brothers and vampires. All you will remember is that you were adopted and that your long-lost twin Katherine wrote to you saying that she would be coming to town, hoping to reunite with her lost family. You will convince Jenna, Alaric, and Jeremy to let me stay and enroll me in your high school. We're the best of friends right from the beginning," Katherine added, as if to pour salt into the wound. But Elena's eyes were already glazing over with the power of the compulsion. "Once I return, you and I will be inseparable."
Throwing her lookalike across the room, Katherine watched with sadistic glee as she hit the wall with her head, knocking her unconscious. At least until her saviors came to protect her. Whether Elena lived or died was no longer a problem.
Stefan and Damon would pay for what they'd been doing to her. Both would have broken hearts once her little human didn't recognize them.
With that thought leaving her in a good mood, she decided not to spoil it by being around when the Salvatores came bursting into the home, calling for their beloved. How predictable that they would both fall for the same girl once again. How unfortunate that only one can have her.
Katherine disappeared through the open window, passing over miles as if they were only meters.
Scene Change!
"Elena!" both brothers shouted as they slammed through the front door. Stefan still hadn't completely worked the vervain out of his system, so he was moving slower than Damon, who was already up the stairs and in Elena's bedroom.
What he found nearly killed him.
Crumpled in a heap on the floor, Elena's head was cut open and he could see where she'd hit the wall. She was still alive, he knew, but it wouldn't be for long with how much blood was pouring from her. He needed to get her to safety, and he needed to do it fast.
Dropping to her side, he gently cradled her against his chest, wincing at how limp she was. All he could think about was the pain enveloping his person as he imagined her dying. He didn't know if he could handle it.
When he turned to the door, Stefan was there, keeping his distance. He still wasn't completely weaned off human blood, so neither of them would chance him going after Elena in the state she was in.
"Call an ambulance!" Damon ordered as his brother's eyes became fixated on the head wound, though it wasn't blood lust in his eyes. Their eyes probably mirrored the other's, worried and frantic. "If she loses too much blood, they won't be able to give her a transfusion and save her. Get your damn phone out!" He didn't care that he was taking over something that was rightfully Stefan's. Stefan was the one that deserved her, so he should be the one holding her.
But he couldn't bring himself to hand her to him. Knowing that Stefan was a large part of why this had happened to her, every instinct screamed at him that only he could keep her safe, especially if she was bleeding. His younger brother, no matter what he might tell Elena and himself, was still fighting that craving for human blood he might never be able to control.
As Stefan fumbled for his phone, blindly dialing the emergency number, Damon wiped the hair from Elena's forehead, murmuring, "Don't worry, we're gonna take care of you. We can fix this. With God as my witness, I'll kill Katherine for what she's done to you. I promise you that."
He brought her closer and held her to his chest for those precious minutes that seemed like hours until he could hear the ambulance in the distance. Tears almost fell from his eyes, but he wouldn't let them. "They're on their way. You'll be okay."
The ambulance came and two paramedics took her from him. Stefan had disappeared, probably going to the hospital to tell Jeremy and Alaric. Damon wasn't sure if that was a sign of trust or the knowledge of the little power he has over his need, but it didn't really matter. All he knew was that he was going to be riding with Elena to the hospital and then he would apologize to her for not seeing through and killing Katherine a century and a half before that.
Well, here is my new story! I know it might not be what everyone expected, but I hope you still enjoyed it!