Not Katherine

"So, who's this friend of yours?" Elena asked, turning to Stefan.

She was referring to the blond girl they'd just left with Damon at the bar. Her name was Steffiana and Elena surmised she was of Italian origin and a vampire. She hadn't wanted to ask too many questions for fear of giving the impression of jealousy. Because right from the start it was clear that Steffiana was more to Stefan than just an old friend. She completely ignored every Damon's attempt at getting her attention, although they seemed to know each other from before. So much so, that Damon finally let go and diverted his attention to Elena until Stefan was sick of it and he suggested they leave.

And so they were now walking up the drive towards Elena's house. The lights were on downstairs, and there was a flickering visible from Jeremy's room, he was probably watching a film on his computer.

"Just a friend. We've known her for a long time."

Elena knew from his squirming that Damon didn't know the new vampire in town nearly as well as Stefan did. Without him admitting it, she sensed they'd had a relationship. She couldn't quite tell, though, whether it was an ancient or recent thing.

"Did you two have time to catch up yet? How long is she staying?"

Tonight was the first time Elena met Steffiana, but she didn't know when she had arrived or where she was staying. Stefan had mentioned an old friend had come to visit, but that was about all he said.

Stefan stopped on the front porch of Elena's house. "Well, we haven't had time to really … talk. I don't think she'll stay long, though, there's nothing here to entertain her for long."

Stefan avoided her eyes as he said it, but Elena wondered whether Steffiana would agree with him about there being nothing in Mystic Falls to keep her here for long.

"I have to go. I still have a few things to take care of tonight."

She stepped on the tip of her toes and gave him a gentle kiss. His fingers caressed her cheek and she could smell his familiar, warm scent.

Reluctantly, she opened her eyes.

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow?"

He gave another quick kiss. "Sure."

He smiled but she knew from his dark gaze that he was unsettled.

"Don't frown, it'll give you wrinkles." Her light-hearted tone was meant to reassure him, but there was no light-heartedness in her. She knew she could trust Stefan, that he loved her and that Steffiana was part of his past, not present. She was jealous nonetheless. She was jealous of every minute he'd ever spent with another woman, including Katherine. As she opened the front door she realized she wanted him all for herself.

She turned before closing the door and there he stood on her front lawn, his stare pensive, yet adoring.

She sent him a kiss and he smiled, catching it in the air and pressing it to his lips with his fingers.

"You're early," Jenna said from the kitchen. "I thought you said you and Stefan were going to the bar," her head poked around the door.

"Yeah, an old friend of theirs is visiting and Damon was kind of a nuisance. Again. So we left."

Elena walked into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of juice, leaning against the counter.

"An old friend, huh?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Jenna shrugged. "Nothing."

"Right."

"Okay, so how good of a friend and whose, Stefan's or Damon's?"

Elena had to smile despite herself. "Very good and Stefan's."

"Ouch."

"It's not like that."

"Whatever you say." Jenna squeezed her arm in what she intended to be a reassuring gesture, but Elena perceived it as a distinctly pitiful.

"No, I mean it – it's not like that. I'm okay with it and I trust Stefan, Jenna."

Jenna pulled her hand away. "Oh. Okay, then."

Sometimes Elena felt like no one really understood what she was trying to say, except Stefan. Maybe that was why she firmly believed that she was right about trusting him now. Jenna could doubt her, Damon would probably mock her trust and Connie would advise her to be careful, but Elena knew she had nothing to fear. Stefan loved her.

Jenna had an early appointment so she was out of the house by the time Elena woke up. The house was quiet, Jeremy still asleep.

Elena walked under the shower. She still couldn't quite forget yesterday's discussion with Stefan and his avoidance of the subject of Steffiana. In the hot shower she reached the conclusion that she had to tell Stefan she didn't doubt his feelings for her and that she was okay with Steffiana being his friend. He deserved her support, Elena thought.

She closed the tap and grabbed the towel. While drying off her hair she heard something clank on the tiles by her feet.

It was her necklace with vervain. She picked it up and saw that the chain was broken.

"Bummer."

She had been so deep in thought she forgot to take it off before showering. It must've snagged in the towel and the chain broke.

She tried fixing it, but she was still too groggy to be able to see the chain links clearly.

As she stepped into the kitchen, she sat at the counter and spread the necklace in front of her. Then she noticed a small note with Jenna's scrawl, saying they ran out of milk, a smiley at the bottom – Jenna's way of saying 'Sorry'.

"Oh, come on!" Elena grumbled and walked to the fridge to see for herself. No milk.

"Just great!"

She picked up her car keys to get the milk before Jeremy woke up.

The ride to the store wasn't long but it wasn't something she wanted to do first thing in the morning. That's why her response when someone called her name was less than friendly.

But when she turned and saw Steffiana standing there with yoghurt in her hand, she had to force herself to smile.

"You're up early," Steffiana said.

"Ran out of milk," Elena explained and showed her the bottle in her hand. "I didn't know you were staying in these parts of the town."

Steffiana looked beautiful even this early in the day, while Elena's hair was tied back in a messy ponytail and she wore her sweats. She cringed at the comparison.

"Yeah, the small B&B two blocks away."

Elena didn't know what else to say, she felt awkward talking to Stefan's ex.

"You're not wearing that beautiful necklace you had on yesterday," Steffiana commented and pointed to her neck.

"No, the chain broke this morning."

Suddenly, the plastic bottle slipped out of her hands and fell on the grey floor where it bounced on the linoleum. When she bowed to pick it up, she felt faint. It was too early, she hadn't even had coffee, no wonder she was feeling dizzy.

She brushed a few strands of hair back and she straightened up. "I'm so clumsy," she smiled at Steffiana.

"Oh, it happens even to the best of us," Steffiana winked back and Elena remembered Damon gracefully catching that glass in her kitchen.

"I have to go, I really need a coffee. It was nice seeing you again."

"You too," Steffiana waved her fingers at Elena as she walked towards the door.

She wasn't so bad after all, Elena thought. It wasn't her fault that they loved – or used to love in Steffiana's case – the same guy. It didn't mean they couldn't be friends. Elena decided she would try to be nice to her and accept her if she decided to stay in Mystic Falls.

"Is she a total bitch?" Caroline asked and giggled as they walked towards the door.

The noise in the school hallway was immense and Elena barely heard her.

"No, she's okay. It's a bit awkward, but she's not bad."

"You're just trying to hide that you're jealous," Caroline teased her.

"No, I'm serious. I met her this morning at the store and she was real nice," Elena said.

Bonnie, who was quiet until now, said, "She's a bit older than Stefan, isn't she?"

Elena saw the look in her eyes. She wanted to know whether Steffiana, too, was a vampire. Elena avoided answering her directly, "She is. He probably had a thing for older women when he was younger," she grinned. "I think she's only a few years over twenty, though."

"Well, he couldn't be much younger or was he thirteen when he was dating her?" Caroline snickered.

Bonnie and Elena exchanged a look but didn't bother answering her.

"Enough of the exes," Bonnie said when they were outside. "See you tomorrow, girls."

"See you."

Caroline waved her hand too and walked in the direction opposite the parking lot.

Elena turned to walk towards her car and she saw Stefan leaning on a bench. He was waiting for her to go with him to the library and she forgot.

"Stefan!"

"Hey," he murmured before kissing her.

It was so good to see him instead of Steffiana's face, Elena sighed.

"I completely forgot that we're supposed to go to the library," she said.

"Do you have other plans? We can …"

"No, you know what, you go ahead. I have something else to do, I would only be in your way anyway. You know I'm not good at history," she smiled and kissed him again.

"One could say I'm a part of history and you're good with me."

That made her laugh, but the sound got lost under his lips. His hand was in her hair and she was leaning on him.

"Mmm, you should go …" she said slowly, knowing that otherwise neither of them would do what they had to.

"Not just yet," he said in a low voice and pulled her back to him. "I missed you this morning."

"You should come back to school and you wouldn't miss me."

"Yes I would because I can't kiss you during classes."

"True. I miss you too, every minute that I'm not with you." She hugged him, feeling his strong muscles under her arms. It was good to know he was there for her whenever she needed him.

"You better go now."

He grinned and kissed her once again before walking towards his car.

"What do you have to do?" he turned.

"What?" she looked confused at him.

"You said you have something to do instead of coming with me?"

He unlocked the door and opened it.

"Oh, that … Yeah, it's just … something," she waved her hand. "I'll be quick. Maybe I'll even catch up with you in the library."

"Okay. See you."

"See you."

She knocked but didn't wait for Damon to open the door. She stepped into the dark hallway and then on into the living-room. The sun was slanting through the windows, shedding a golden light onto the hardwood floors and carpets, dark furnishings and the big couch. The room felt like a place from fairy-tales her mom read to her when she was little. It felt unreal and it made everything that had recently happened in her life feel unreal. Stefan, Damon, vampires, witches … She still wasn't entirely certain that all this wasn't just a crazy dream.

The room was empty and the house quiet. For a second she doubted that Damon was even home, but he wouldn't leave the door unlocked. Not with so many secrets around the house to hide from curious eyes.

She browsed along the bookshelves as she waited for him to appear. She suspected he could tell it was her from her footsteps or something. Vampires could be annoying like that.

She spotted a very old, dusty copy of Dangerous Liaisons just as she heard soft footsteps at the door.

"Ah, Miss Elena! Stefan isn't here," Damon said from the door.

"I know," she said without turning, although she would have loved to see his double take. "He's at the library."

"So?"

His voice suddenly sounded less joking.

She turned. "So, what?"

"What are you doing here? What do you want?"

His gait always seemed like he was stalking his prey. Like this, dressed in black pants and shirtless, enveloped in the golden sunlight, he look very animal-like, a predator hidden in the golden savannah grass. Ready to strike and kill instantly.

Elena took a deep breath, realizing that that was exactly what he was – a deadly predator. So very unlike Stefan.

But she also knew that that other part of him was still alive inside, the part that longed for the good old days, that succumbed to Katherine without her compelling him, that ached when his father belittled him. That part resembled more a victim than an attacker. That part was hidden in the blue recesses of his hooded eyes. It took a trip to Atlanta or almost a whole bottle of whisky for it to come out of hiding, and even then just barely. It was certainly well hidden now as he stalked towards her.

"You're not a very good host, Damon," Elena chided him and grinned.

"You're in a good mood today. What can I do for the lady?" he amended and bowed slightly.

Elena pouted, thinking. "I actually just wanted some company."

He stood watching, crossing his arms on his bare chest.

"Ugh-huh."

"You don't believe me." It was more a statement than a question. Still, he answered, "No."

She looked insulted, but she didn't respond right away. She leaned onto the back of the couch. "Well, yeah, when I asked you in Atlanta whether I'd be safe with you … I'm not sure I believed you either."

"Smart choice."

"Or not. Being careful is not always the best choice."

He raised his eyebrows.

"It definitely isn't a fun one."

Elena took off her jacket and threw it onto the couch behind her. When she looked up again, Damon was staring at her with an unreadable expression.

"You're jealous."

"What?" It seemed it was now his turn to surprise her. "Oh, you mean Steffiana. I'm not jealous. I trust Stefan."

She wanted to ask him about Steffiana and Stefan but she knew she wouldn't get a straight answer out of him. Besides, the past didn't matter.

"And yet you're here. With me." He smirked.

"Want a drink?"

He poured himself a glass of whisky. Elena declined.

"I'm doing myself a disservice, but Steffiana and Stefan are long over. She's too clingy." He shuddered pronouncedly at his last words.

"I know."

"Do you now?"

Elena shrugged. "Well, I guessed, but …"

"You came to me to confirm it?"

He was trying to make sense of her unexpected visit. She wasn't helping.

"Not really, no."

His light chest and face looked even paler next to the amber contents of the glass. He was exquisitely beautiful, Elena thought, like a detailed work of art. But this piece of art also packed deadly force. Elena sighed.

"What? Regretting that you chose Stefan when you could've had this?"

His eyes glittered with an amused smile. It teased a chuckle out of her. "Maybe."

It was nice to be the one to surprise him for a change, despite his quick recovery. It always felt like he was a step ahead of her, so even the smallest victory tasted sweet to Elena.

"We've shared girls before," he said offhandedly. "Wouldn't be the first time, nor the last." He gave her his crooked smile, and then continued as he walked towards the fireplace. "You know, sometimes it's good to have a brother like Stefan. He's all polite and gentlemanly and that catches the ladies' eyes. He seduced them … like he seduced you … with gentleness and charm so he can bring them home and then I can devour them. In every sense of the word." The corner of his lips quirked in a teasing smile, no doubt expecting Elena's angry reaction.

"I think …" She cleared her throat and then started again. "I think you have quite enough charm of your own to seduce women."

The glass in Damon's hand stopped midway to his lips. He neared Elena and looked sharply, yet amused at her. "Are you hitting on me?"

His voice expressed all the surprise and disbelief that Elena herself felt at her words. What was she doing? Almost from the first moment she'd met Damon she found him attractive in a weird, devilish way, just like all bad things always have a certain appeal. But it was the kind of attraction that you knew was bound to destroy you if you ever gave in; the kind you perhaps even enjoyed a little but knew better than to act on it. So what the hell was she doing now?

"What if I am?" She gulped when the words were out.

She pushed herself away from the couch, now standing only a foot from him. His eyes were boring into hers, he clearly found this development immensely fun and enjoyable. He was already planning how he'd rub it in Stefan's face.

"Have you been drinking?"

"No."

When her hand lifted from her side and reached towards him, it was like someone else was controlling it. It couldn't be her! That was unimaginable. But then again, was it really? Didn't she like the way Damon found his way around her kitchen? The way he held her in his arms when he rescued her from her crashed car and asked her if she was fine? Or how relaxed and different he was with her in Atlanta? Damon was certainly … interesting. And it often scared her the way she reacted to him. Was this how Eve felt when she was offered the apple?

Her fingers touched the smooth skin on his chest in a soft, hesitant caress. The touch was like getting over the first hurdle. Everything would be easier now.

"Elena?"

She heard the ice in his glass clank and she lifted her eyes to his. "What?"

"What exactly are you doing?" His expression now was not so much amused as guarded.

"Don't you like me?" Her fingers slid from his collar bone all the way down to the waist of his pants. She heard his sharp intake of air as she passed over his stomach muscles. They felt firm but surprisingly delicate, like everything else on him. Elena liked this dichotomy of frailty and power in Damon. Not just his personality, even his body was deceiving.

"That's not really the point. As aware as I am that this was bound to happen – I'm a handsome devil, after all – I'd just like to know what spurred this on. Did you have a fight with Stefan? Is this payback for Steffiana? What?"

He knew something was not right. Elena was not Katherine, she would never go with him behind Stefan's back. She would never go with him at all, not even because of that 'something between them' she thought they'd had since Atlanta. Something was off. It didn't mean, of course, that he had to say no to her advances. This was too good to pass. The lady obviously needed some fun. And he was always ready to entertain.

"I don't know." Elena shrugged, wondering herself. "You're just so …"

"Irresistible?" he supplied.

"I was thinking more along the lines of bad."

"Hm. I can work with that."

"Do you think I'm attractive?" she asked, her index finger hooked in his belt as if she was trying to pull him closer.

"You look like Katherine, remember?"

He avoided a direct answer, because he hated to admit that he liked her better because she was more human, and not just in the non-vampire way; she was gentle and sincere. She was the kind of woman you could believe her when she told you she loved you. There was no deception lurking in her beautiful eyes.

"Right." She paused. "Do you think of her when you look at me?"

He couldn't understand where all this was leading. Did she have an ulterior motive, after all? Was she here simply to screw with his head? Did Stefan put her up to it?

"No, not that often anymore. Other than the face, you're nothing like her."

"Is that good or bad?" Although her seductive smile was a bit tentative, she started unbuttoning her blue blouse.

He caught a peek at her pale globes under the fabric and his mouth watered. The vein in her neck was pulsing with insolent liveliness.

"Neither nor."

He could feel his body tighten with the strain of stopping himself from touching her when she stood so invitingly close, her blouse now hanging open, revealing her flat stomach and a black lacy bra.

"I didn't think you'd be a girl for lace," he said just to fill the tense silence.

"I like to mix it up sometimes, to keep things interesting," she said with a throaty voice.

"Clearly."

She took hold of his right hand, the whisky still in his left, the ice all gone now, and placed it on her chest.

His finger skimmed across her pulse and his breath came short. Her chest rose and fell with her shallow breathing, her skin was warm, covered in the finest sheen of perspiration. It felt like getting shocked by electricity through water. A jolt right to the core.

He pinched her chin between his finger and thumb, lifting her face slightly so he could look her in the eyes. But the move exposed her neck even more and the strong pulsing distracted him. He wanted to taste her, and not just her blood.

"Well?"

"Well what?" He looked confused at her as her question woke him from his thoughts.

"Well, are you going to just stare at me?" she teased.

He still couldn't quite place it together, but what the hell, he thought. This was too good an offer to question it. If she turned on him later on, he'd deal with it then. For now she just turned him on.

She expected his lips to feel harder, his kiss to be more like a brutal pressure on her mouth. Instead, it was like a soft invitation. There was nothing predatory in his kiss. It was almost cute the way he felt obliging and giving, unlike his usual acerbic self that she'd come to know so well.

She could feel the heat rising from her belly as one of his hands pushed her open blouse to the side. His fingers were nimble and soft as they left fervid, rousing memories on her receptive skin. His thumb slid over her nipple covered with lace and she could feel the burning sensation despite the fabric barrier between them.

His mouth slid over her jaw line and moved to her exposed neck. For a short moment her brain stirred and she flinched as his lips covered her pulse.

A room full of naked women wasn't as arousing as the skin on Elena's neck. It was soft like cream, smooth and delicious. He traced her pulse with his tongue and at the last moment he stopped himself from moaning. But she couldn't stop herself from cringing. He felt her body go taut for just a second.

He pulled away, trying to clear his mind.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to."

He touched her neck with his fingers, traveling downwards, over her pale breast and to her belly. She felt so soft and available. She opened up to him like he'd never imagined she would without him compelling her. Now was his chance to have her. He'd deal with Stefan later. He couldn't miss this opportunity. He didn't even know why he wanted her. He knew she wasn't Katherine, and he still wanted her. He wanted her even more.

Elena's lips moved as if she was going to say something, but she remained silent. Instead, her hand on his chest started moving downwards. The movement was so slow, he ached with anticipation. The hand didn't stop at his waist.

Elena's eyes grew wide with surprise as his hand grabbed her wrist in a painful grip.

"Don't you like it?" she stammered.

Damon was staring at the skin revealed by her open blouse.

"Where's your necklace?" he breathed.

"What?" her hand went to her neck. "Oh, I forgot it at home. The chain broke." She sounded annoyed at the distraction. "What does it matter? You're not compelling me."

"No, I'm not," he admitted.

But someone else compelled her. That was the only way this made sense. He had his answer now. She wasn't here because she wanted him. And he didn't want her like this either. If he was going to have her, it would be because she wanted it herself, without compelling. He wanted at least something in his life to be true, and the half naked Elena standing in front of him now wasn't it.

"Who have you talked to since you left the necklace at home?"

"Damon! I'm not here because of the necklace. Why don't we continue what we started?"

When she leaned on him, it was very tempting to let go. But he knew without a doubt that Stefan would kill him for it. And he couldn't afford dying. Not now.

"Elena, button up your blouse."

She opened her mouth and her eyes teared up at his rejection.

"Elena!"

Elena and Damon both jumped hearing Stefan's voice.

"Great!" Damon grumbled seeing his brother enter the room. "The white knight." Steffiana was right behind him.

"Hello, Stefan," he said cheerfully. "You might want to take better care to keep your girl satisfied. I barely managed to stop her from raping me."

Elena's eyes flitted unfocused between Damon and Stefan.

"Elena, are you alright? Did he hurt you?"

Stefan was holding her shoulders, shaking her a little when she didn't respond right away.

"Hello? Didn't you hear what I just said? She threw herself at me!" Damon exclaimed with fake offense.

"I bet you fought her off with all your might," Stefan hissed.

Damon only sighed like his brother's scathing tone hurt his feelings deeply.

"Steffiana, undo what you did to her!"

Stefan's voice rose with urgency and then anger as the blond vampire showed no intention of doing what he told her. "Steffiana!"

"I didn't do anything! Don't blame me for her cheating on you!" Her lips were pressed in a hard line, eyes blazing with determination.

"She didn't cheat!" Stefan and Damon said at the same time.

All three looked at Damon.

He shrugged. "What? It wasn't her. She's compelled." He pointed to her neck. "She doesn't have her necklace; the chain broke."

He didn't want to admit that that was just the last clue and that he suspected from the start that something was not right. He didn't want to admit that he knew Elena would never have come to him of her own free will.

Stefan turned back to Steffiana just as she made a step towards the door. Before she could reach it, Damon was blocking her way. "I strongly suggest you do what Stefan told you." His voice was steely, the slight flush on his cheeks from moments ago vanished.

Steffiana's eyes welled with tears of frustration. "You two are idiots if you think you can have a normal life with a human. She's not Katherine, you can't both have her." Her hatred resonated in her voice as she walked towards Elena.

"Do it," Stefan repeated when she stopped a few steps from Elena.

Steffiana looked at him pleadingly, "Can't you understand that she's just human and …"

"It seems you can't understand that that's why she's so tempting," Damon piped in from the door and lifted his glass in a toast as she looked at him.

"Do it!" Stefan interfered.

Damon could hear what Steffiana said to Elena all the way to the door although she whispered. But more than that, he could see Elena's shock when her daze lifted. She looked at all three of them, lost and disoriented. Then she clutched at her blouse when she saw she was half naked.

"What happened?"

She looked at Stefan for an explanation.

"You were compelled," he said, his tone still hard. He caressed Elena's arm gently.

"Damon?" In Elena's mind her being half undressed could only mean it was Damon who compelled her.

But he just rolled his eyes at her. "I wouldn't need to compel you if I wanted to seduce you." His smirk was like an echo in the room that kept spinning around her. Then her eyes settled on Steffiana and she remembered talking to her in the morning. Without her necklace.

"You?" she whispered.

Stefan pulled her into his embrace and held her tightly.

"It's okay now. I'm here."

She was instantly comforted when she breathed in his familiar smell. It reminded her of Damon's toasty scent. Elena caught herself comparing them and she cringed at the thought.

As she looked over Stefan's shoulder towards the door, Damon was no longer there.

Steffiana, too, vanished.

Stefan opened the car door for her. His gentle attention felt so good after everything that just happened. Elena felt terrible although she only managed to piece together a few moments from before Stefan and Steffiana had arrived, but her unbuttoned blouse was a big enough clue. Steffiana compelled her, told her to seduce Damon so that Stefan would hate her for it and would return to Steffiana. Luckily, her plan didn't work. Damon was too suspicious and Stefan just trusting enough.

When Stefan walked to his side of the car, Elena turned and looked out towards the house. Just as she was about to look away, she noticed a dark shadow in one of the windows. Damon was standing cross-armed in the window, now with a shirt on, his face hidden in the dim light of the late afternoon.

Was he laughing at her? she wondered. Or was he pissed?

Although she couldn't interpret his expression, she could feel his eyes on her and she looked away when Stefan got in behind the wheel and started the car.

Damon watched them on the driveway. Stefan was treating her like she was an invalid and she was in her damsel in distress mode again. He liked it a lot better when he could come to her rescue.

He meant to step away from the window before Stefan spotted him, but just then she turned and saw him. He was too slow to hide. Or perhaps too unwilling.

He could read the embarrassment on her face, the wariness that he would probably see for a while every time she looked at him, like he was still the bad guy although he did nothing to cause this.

There was one thing he was certain of. She didn't hate him or she wouldn't have looked back. And she would look again and again and he would catch her gaze one of these days and hold it and he wouldn't need to compel her.

The car was becoming smaller and smaller on the driveway until it vanished around the corner. Instead of it, Damon saw Elena's face, her parted lips, her big eyes, the way they stared at him just before his lips touched hers.

The house around him was quieter than ever although he could hear the creaking and rustling in the remotest corners of the building. He liked silence. When he was stalking someone, silence meant he had to be extra cautious not get exposed. Silence was a challenge. He liked challenge.

He smirked at his reflection in the window.