Chapter One:

Damon's POV

That kiss felt strangely familiar. It seemed to be a little guarded as though trying to hide something from him and yet, at the same time, it felt as though something rough, cold and child-like was trying to claw its way out and force its way into the kiss, to get in touch with something it had been hidden away from forever. Damon frowned as he thought about it over and over again. He walked down the street, his hands in his pockets as he walked and his mind reeling over the kiss he had just experienced on the porch. It had not been what he was expecting it to be. Elena was warm, soft, caring…loveable. That kiss was nothing like that at all and it held an air of something from a past that Damon was trying to now bury ever since he had found out that Katherine was not in that tomb.

'That's it!'

Damon tensed and stopped in mid stride. That had not been Elena on the porch tonight. He had not poured out his soul and let down every wall he had ever built up around his feelings and exposed them to Elena. It had been Katherine pretending to be Elena. Damon felt sick to his stomach, and suddenly there seemed to be an almost bitter taste in his mouth as he thought about the kiss and his jaw clenched.

'Oh God!' he hissed out into the night air as another thought came crashing down over him.

Jenna had opened the door and seen them kissing, she had seen Elena and him kissing and she had told Elena to get inside. Katherine had been invited into the house. Damon's eyes grew wide with horror and not because Jenna and Jeremy were in danger of being shredded to bits if Katherine felt that that was what she wanted to do to entertain her, no it meant that Katherine could do that to Elena and this made Damon's blood seem to turn cold. He had to get back to the house now before Elena got back home because if anything happened to her…his body shivered with horror at the thought of that happening. There were people around still so Damon tried to hurry as best he could towards Elena's house.

'Please don't let me be too late,' he whispered to himself.

Elena walked up the porch stairs, talking to Stefan on the phone telling him about the fact that the dress and everything else she had been wearing seemed to have been picked up by someone else. She unlocked the front door and opened it after telling Stefan she loved him. As she closed the door there was a noise from the kitchen and Elena frowned. She walked down the hallway to the kitchen cautiously. As she walked into the kitchen she gasped when she noticed blood on the counter and John lying on the floor with a knife in his chest. Elena turned around to run for her phone that she had left on the table next to the door when she stopped in mid stride, her eyes growing wide with shock as she seemed to be staring at her own reflection.

Elena's heart was racing as she looked the woman over before her. She looked just like Elena, except this woman was glaring at Elena with a cold, vicious glare.

'Katherine,' Elena whispered.

'And you must be Elena, my twin….well in appearances at least,' Katherine replied as she looked Elena over in disgust. 'I honestly can not see what Damon would ever find appealing in you. Stefan I can understand. Stefan was always the good son.'

Katherine walked towards Elena and then began to circle her. 'Damon was never the good son, he always had that….bad boy streak in him and I suppose that's why I was drawn to him,' she said before stopping in front of Elena again, her eyes remaining cold and vicious. 'After all having just the good son around can be quite boring. Every woman needs a little taste of a bad boy once in a while, don't you agree?'

Elena glared at Katherine, clenching her teeth. 'No Katherine I don't because unlike you I believe in making a choice and my choice was the good son.'

Katherine laughed a musical, child-like laugh. 'Oh come now Elena, don't fool yourself and don't lie to me.' Katherine swiftly moved behind her and whispered in her ear. 'I'll bet that you've imagined what it would be like to be with Damon even if it was just for one day. I'll bet you've had dreams about Damon and woke up gasping for breath because they were just so intense, so real and so…enjoyable. Stefan is all about the soft and sweet but I'll bet that you've been craving something a little more…wild between your thighs.'

Elena shook her head and turned around to face Katherine.

'No I haven't. Damon is my friend and that is all he'll ever be because I love Stefan.'

Katherine smirked at Elena 'Well your body and that heart of yours seems to be telling me a whole different story. There's that and a rather….touching moment I shared with Damon this evening on your front porch. I never knew Damon had such a…soft side to him. I'm sure if you experienced what I did your mind would quickly be changing and choosing the other brother.'

Elena frowned at Katherine's words, wondering what she was talking about. Just as she was about to ask Katherine what she was going on about Katherine swiftly moved towards her, grabbed her by the hair and yanked her back against her. Katherine gripped Elena around the throat and hissed low in her ear.

'You've stolen my men, they belong to me, you've turned one of them into some soft hearted, 'I want to save the world' idiot and that I don't appreciate.'

Elena whimpered as Katherine yanked her head back and hissed again when another movement came from the passage.

'Let her go,' came a familiar voice from the passage way.

'Ah Damon, the Knight in Shining armour comes charging in to save the damsel in distress….how sweet,' Katherine replied, her words dripping with cold, hard sarcasm.

Elena clawed at Katherine's hand to try and get it off, her eyes wide with fright as she looked over at Damon.

'Katherine let her go or I swear I'll…'

'You'll do what Damon, shred me to bits?' Katherine laughed that same musical, childish laugh and glared at Damon. 'I have over three hundred years on you Damon, don't forget that. You'll be dead before you can save her. Are you willing to risk that?'

Damon's eyes met Elena's and she shook her head slowly as the tears ran down her cheeks. His eyes seemed pained to see her this way.

'Yes,' he whispered.

Katherine glared at him. 'I'm sorry I didn't quite hear that,' she said through clenched teeth.

'I said yes,' he spat back at Katherine, turning his gaze to her, his eyes now filled with hate and anger. 'I'll die trying to save her because unlike the selfish, cold and heartless bitch that you are, she's worth saving and she's most definitely worth dying for.'

Elena felt her heart seem to jump into her throat at Damon's words. Katherine was in just as much shock as Elena was. She had obviously not expected this to happen. But she recovered quickly.

'Well then let's hope you are able to save her.'

Katherine's eyes turned black and Elena screamed out in pain as she felt Katherine's fangs pierce through the skin on her neck. She didn't drink from Elena; she simply ripped away the skin and dropped her to the floor. Laughing menacingly as she licked the blood from her lips. Elena fell to the floor and grabbed the wound on her neck.

'NO!' Damon growled out and moved towards Katherine.

Katherine moved gracefully out of the way as Elena crumpled on the floor and smirked. 'Tough choice Damon, you can either come after me, attempt to kill me or you have to try your best to save her.'

Damon glared at Katherine and then down at Elena, her blood running out over the kitchen floor. Katherine let out another childish laugh and disappeared out the back door. Damon knew he had no choice. He wouldn't let Elena die. He picked her up into his arms and pulled her hand away from the wound. She was losing too much blood; he could hear her heart slowing by the second. He bit into his wrist and held it to Elena's lips.

'Elena, please drink.'

Elena opened her eyes slightly and lifted her hands weakly to his arm. She held onto it as her lips found the wound and she began to drink down his blood, her face scrunching up in distaste as she drank it but she knew she had no choice. It was either this or death and she wasn't ready to die just yet.

Damon watched the wound heal and when it was gone completely he pulled his wrist away from her mouth. He quickly laid her down on the floor once more and began to swiftly move around the kitchen cleaning it up, removing John's body from the floor and into the woods behind the house. When he retuned he found Jenna on the floor next to Elena a look of horror and shock on her face. Damon had to act quickly. He lifted Jenna up and turned her around. She looked at Damon disapprovingly.

'You never saw any of this. Elena is fine. She called you earlier to tell you she would be staying at the boarding house tonight and there is no need to worry about her. You're tired after cleaning up the kitchen and need to go to bed.'

'I'm tired I need to go to bed,' Jenna replied in a sleepy tone and walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

Damon let out a sigh and then headed up to Elena's room to grab a few of the things she would bring over to the boarding house when she usually slept over. He packed them in a bag and grabbed her phone before walking back to her. He picked her up in his arms and she moaned quietly as her arms wrapped around his neck.

'Shhh, its ok Elena, you're going to be fine,' Damon whispered in her ear.

Damon headed for the door and then out into the night making his way quickly towards the house.

Elena's POV

Elena's dreams had become nightmares. She dreamed that she was running down a dark tunnel, a tunnel that never seemed to end and at every possible escape Katherine seemed to be there. Her eyes black and her fangs stained with blood. Each time Elena would turn and run from her that cold, childish laugh would ring out into the tunnel and send a shiver down Elena's spine.

Elena could feel her heart pounding away as she ran and ran the tears rolled down her cheeks as she tried desperately to escape and every time hope seemed to fill her up when a light was seen, Katherine was there to shatter that hope and chill every bone in her body with a menacing laugh. Eventually Elena could not run anymore and she collapsed to the ground. Suddenly there was a gush of wind and she felt the most excruciating pain in her neck as something pierced through the flesh and she let out a blood curdling scream as she tried to pry whatever it was off of her. Elena wanted to escape this nightmare because it kept repeating itself over and over again. Just as that pain coursed through her something would calm her down and she would be fine…but only for a while before she was consumed by the darkness once again and the nightmare would start all over again and it would seem even more frightening than before.

Damon kicked the door open and rushed past Stefan who jumped up and saw him carrying Elena in his arms.

'Damon, what the hell happened?'

'Not now Stefan!' Damon snapped at his brother as he rushed up the stairs and into his room, laying Elena down on the bed, hearing her whimper once again and he whispered soothing words into her ear to calm her down. Damon rushed into the bathroom and turned on the water, running a bath to try and clean her up as best he could. He hurried back into the room and began to unbutton her shirt. Stefan let out a growl and grabbed his brother's hand. Damon stood up and swiftly pushed his brother up against the wall.

'Stefan I am in no mood to have a fight right now so back off!'

'What the hell happened, Damon?'

'One word….Katherine,' Damon replied and released his brother before retuning to Elena's side and unbuttoning her shirt, slipping it off her arms.

Stefan stood against the wall stunned by the name and then he shook his head.

'Katherine is here?'

Damon rolled his eyes as he worked to remove Elena's jeans. 'Yes Stefan she's here. She practically ripped open our girlfriend's neck over here so if you don't mind I would like to get her into that bath and clean her up. We can discuss this later.'

Damon picked Elena up off the bed and walked over to the bathroom. Stefan swiftly stepped in Damon's way glaring at him.

'Firstly she is my girlfriend and secondly there is no way in hell I am letting you lay your hands all over her.'

Damon rolled his eyes again and glared at his brother. 'You want to wash her of her own blood then here you go Stefan,' Damon snapped and handed Elena to his brother.

Stefan's whole body tensed and his eyes became dark as he inhaled the scent of her blood. He began to shake slightly as his fangs lengthened in his mouth. Damon swiftly removed Elena from Stefan's arms before Stefan could lower his fangs to her neck.

'You see, you can't do it. That's the downfall of you not learning to control your hunger. That's what you get for fighting who you really are. Now, if you'll excuse me I have to clean her up seeing as her saintly boyfriend can't do it. WE will discuss this all after I've cleaned her up.'

Damon shoved past his brother and slammed the door shut. He gently put Elena into the bath tub and picked up a sponge he had grabbed from her bathroom. He moved her hair aside and gently wiped the blood from her neck, inspecting it as he did so to make sure the wound had healed completely. She whimpered slightly once more and her face seemed to furrow into a look of pain. Damon whispered soothing words to her and wondered what she must be dreaming to cause such a look of pain on her face, although he could easily imagine it being filled with images of Katherine. Damon washed down the rest of Elena's body and did his best to wash her hair to get rid of the blood that had managed to seep into it. He was gentle with her, treating her as if she were some frail china doll that would shatter at any moment. It was now that he could understand why Stefan treated her in much the same way because tonight he had seen just how easily she could be broken and it frightened him terribly when he thought of an existence without her in it.

After an hour of washing away all the blood, Damon took her out and dried her off as best he could. Now came the tricky part. He pulled out the Pyjamas he had scooped up off her bed and as swiftly as he could he removed her bra and underwear and did his best not to look because now was really not the time for that and, as much as he knew how that would piss Stefan off, he was really not in the mood to have to deal with that as well from his brother. He tossed her wet underwear one side once he had finished dressing her and then opened the bathroom door. Naturally Stefan was still in his room, pacing back and forth like the typical concerned boyfriend would. Damon sighed and shook his head before he carried Elena over to his bed. He pulled back the covers and placed her beneath them. He pulled the covers up to her shoulder and brushed her wet hair behind her ear. She shivered slightly and pulled the blankets further up over her and curled into a ball beneath them. Damon let out a sigh and then turned to face Stefan.

'Right, now we can talk about what happened.'

Stefan sat down in a chair and ran his fingers through his hair, clearly disappointed and perhaps a little jealous that his older brother was the only one who seemed to be able to help Elena. Damon sat down in a chair across from his brother and ran a hand over his face before leaning his head back in the chair.

'What were you doing at Elena's place?'

'Well I was talking to Jeremy about Anna,' Damon replied, a frown on his face.

'How do you know that Katherine was there?'

Damon sighed and leaned forward in the chair. He knew that his brother was going to snap at him but hell, he may as well tell him the truth now or else Katherine would just end up telling him when they came face to face with her.

'I came out of the house and I saw, who I thought was Elena, coming towards the porch. I helped her with her things and then we spoke, and I was thanking her for deciding that I had been worth saving because after all, if it hadn't been for Elena I'd be dead because we both know Bonnie despises me,' Damon replied with his usual smirk.

'Then what happened?'

'Do you want the sugar coated version or the truth?'

'Give me the truth Damon, for once in your life.'

Damon rolled his eyes. 'Alright, you asked for it then. Well I gave who I thought was Elena a kiss on the cheek which led to us kissing and being caught out by Jenna-'

'WHAT?" Stefan yelled and stood up, glaring down at Damon.

Damon stood up and glared back at his brother. 'Oh for heaven's sake Stefan calm down will you!' Damon grabbed his brother's arm and led him out of the room and into the hallway. 'It was Katherine so don't get all psycho vampire on me alright. Jenna opened the door, thought it was Elena and told her to get inside. I left and thought about that kiss because it was nothing like what I would have expected a kiss from Elena to be and then it hit me. It was Katherine and I hurried back to the house and found Katherine with Elena in a death grip.'

Stefan growled at Damon, his eyes burning with anger.

'How could you?'

'Oh come on Stefan it was Katherine. I haven't kissed your precious girlfriend.'

'Yeah but you thought you had!'

'You're really going to start an argument over this right now? After what has happened all you can think about is the kiss?' Damon shook his head in disbelief.

Stefan paced back and forth in the hall and tried to calm down.

'Alright what happened then?'

'Well there was an exchange of words between myself and Katherine and then she bit down into Elena's neck, ripped it open and then left because she knew I'd not let Elena die just to go after her. I knew I would never get Elena to the hospital in time so I gave her my blood to heal the wound.'

Stefan growled and leaped at his brother, smashing him into the wall. Damon growled and pushed his brother away, watching him smash into the wall across from him and crumple to the floor. Damon dusted off his jacket and straightened up before walking over to Stefan and picking him up from the floor, his eyes glaring at his brother.

'Be thankful…brother. If it weren't for me your girlfriend would be dead right now.'

Damon let go of his brother and walked back to his room.

'Where are you going?' Stefan choked out.

'I'm going to my room to sit and watch over Elena until she wakes up.'

Damon shook his head once at his brother and walked into his room, slamming the door shut.

Stefan knew he couldn't be in the room because Elena's clothes were stained with her blood…that and he didn't trust himself around her now, especially as he had almost lost control when Damon had put her into his arms. Stefan growled low in frustration and marched off to his room, slamming his own door shut and began to throw things around in it to take out his frustration. Damon sat down in a chair he had placed at the foot of the bed and sighed as he watched Elena sleep. He rested his chin on the top of his hand and thought about everything that had happened. Every time he thought about Katherine his blood would start to boil and a soft growl would escape him. He was going to see that little bitch suffer for what she had done to Elena. Damon now saw that Elena was so much better than Katherine and that Katherine would never measure up to her. He sat now and wondered what he had ever found so alluring about Katherine. She was always cold and cruel and her words of love she had used when in his company were never true because if she had truly loved him, she would have never used the exact same words with his brother. She played little games to keep herself entertained and when she had live puppets to play with it made the games even more enjoyable, especially when the puppets fought over her to try and gain a false love from her. At the end of the day there was no real love to gain from her. Damon let out a weary sigh and kicked off his shoes. He got more comfortable in the chair and put his feet up on the bed as he let his head fall back onto the chair. He closed his eyes and within minutes he found himself fast asleep.