thanks to everyone who read or reviewed. I really appreciate the feedback and I'm sorry about the delay for chapter 2. chapter 3 will be up before the weeks out.


Damon

"Katherine" I say, more an accusation then a greeting. Why was she still here?

"Well, that's no way to greet your saviour now is it?" she smirks at her own wit. She will never change. After all this time, after all that has happened, she won't give up the pretence that she is hollow, that she feels nothing. She mistakes callousness for strength. That, I can understand but now… after everything…

"Stefan saved me, not you" I tell her, hoping maybe by reminding her that her beloved had been taken as a willing hostage I would wipe the grin from her face. It works. Her smile turns down into a scowl and I can almost, almost see the ghost of sadness in her eyes but then it's gone and she's smiling again.

"Well, aren't you going to invite me in?" she teases, running her finger along the doorframe next to me, her chest pressing against mine. My body freezes and I don't respond, knowing that anything I want to say right now will only piss her off. I am still more myself then I knew. That is good, I will need that. Things are going to get messy around here and there won't be any use for weakness, for feelings. I will need to lose myself once more in the anger that I can already feel sucking away at my humanity.

"Oh wait, you don't have to" she says with a triumphant shrug as shoves past me and steps over the threshold, into the house. I groan. Elena had technically died in the sacrifice; of course the manor was now an open house.

I follow Katherine into the lounge, unable to stop myself from watching the way her hips swing as she walks but instead of turning me on like it should, like it used to, it only fuels my anger. Everything that I used to find alluring about her feels wrong now. Every time I look at her, every time she speaks, it's like a little part of the man I used to be dies. That man, who'd known nothing, who'd barely lived, who'd loved with all his heart… Well, look where that had got him. Maybe it's that I really have changed… I almost laugh out loud at the thought. Who am I kidding, I will never change. I am not my brother.

"Well, where is dear Elena then?" Katherine turns to face me and my instinct betrays me as I track the sound of her pulse from my bedroom and look up, "don't worry Damon, you should know by now I'm no longer a threat to her." Yeah, that was likely, "in fact, she's going to play a very important part in my life from now on" she finishes, perching herself casually on the arm of one of the sofas. What the hell did she mean by that? If she thought I was going to let her use Elena in another one of her little games, the bitch had another thing coming.

This, it turns out, comes as no surprise to Katherine as the moment I think it she begins to laugh softly. A laugh which is nothing like Elena's.

"Always the hero… although, Stefan really has stolen your thunder this time hasn't he" the comment will hurt her as much as it will me but she says it anyway and its still enough that I find myself in front of her in seconds, my hand around her throat. This needs to end. I need to protect Elena. Katherine is not the women I'd fallen in love with all those years ago and I have to kill that part of me that still wants to believe it. She is not human, she is only a threat. I curl my fingers tighter.

"Listen carefully Katherine because I will only say this once." I shake her slightly so that her eyes, which had wandered to my bare chest, now rise back to meet mine, "Elena is no longer a part of any of your plans and Mystic Falls is no longer your hidey hole from the big bad wolf" I smile a little at the thought of Klaus getting his hands on her but that only reminds me that if he should, Stefan would be there too… Stefan would be there too! My hand drops suddenly and she inhales deeply, her hands at her throat. If Klaus comes for Katherine, and if I'm honest with myself I know that is more than a possibility, then surely he would bring Stefan. Only… it couldn't be that simple. Could it?

"It's almost pathetic. Watching your eyes brighten with a false sense of hope I mean… but then, you always were naïve" I can barely hear her taunts, barely remember she even exists, even as she now runs her hands over my chest. Everything else disappears as ideas start to form into plans, a million possibilities playing themselves over in my head. I hadn't had the time to think, I mean after the cure, after the kiss… All I'd honestly concerned myself with was Elena, she'd been so… hopeless. But there was no time for that now, I'd already given myself over to death so technically I no longer exist anyway and if it comes down to it, I will gladly right my brother's wrong, not just for her, but for him, for me.

"If you think you can use me as bait to lure out Klaus your wrong. In fact, you'd probably have a better shot using Elena"

Elena. Hearing her name spoken out loud brings me back to reality and makes me hyperaware of something that's been prodding at my subconscious. Something's wrong. The house is silent. No heartbeat. Elena…

Elena

If Damon thinks he is the only one who can play games he is sorely mistaken. He and… Stefan, I have to force the name out, had underestimated me before and apparently, he was doing it again. He thinks that just because, just because…. Well it doesn't matter what he's thinking because I am sure of my own thoughts and that is that if we are ever going to get Stefan back, I'm going to have to present Klaus with a more attractive offer. I just have to figure out what that is…

"Elena?" Jeremy's voice drones down the line and I feel at least one small part of me grow whole again. This feeling, this emptiness… it's as if I'll have to slowly put myself back together.

"Sorry Jer, I shouldn't have called" I shouldn't have, I could tell by his tone that I'd woken him, but I had needed to.

"What's wrong, you sound weird"

I could hear him shuffling around, dropping the phone. What was I going to say? 'Everything's wrong, but there's nothing you can do, I was just making sure you are still alive.'

"Nothing, everything's fine I just wanted to let you know I won't be home for a few days" it was true at least, only I just realise it after I'd said it.

"Where are you?" he pauses and I'm about to lie and tell him I'm with Caroline when he interrupts, "look there's something I have talk to you about, about what Bonnie did…" and I want to listen to the rest of what he's going to say, I really do but I can hear voices downstairs and I know I don't have long until Damon comes back.

"Sorry Jeremy, I have to go… look, I'll see you at the house" I rush through the words, hating myself for saying them, for leaving Jeremy alone. I can only hope that Alaric will go by the house, make sure he is okay.

"Love you" I tell him as I throw my bag over my shoulder and head to the window. I've never climbed out of a window before, sure, I've smashed one and jumped through it but that was at street level. I push the glass up with my free hand and look down. It's not that far...

"Elena, are you sure you're okay?" Jeremy's voice is louder now and I worry its enough that Damon will hear. I hang up.

"Sorry Jer" I whisper mostly just so I can hear something that is not the pounding of my own heart as I climb up to the window and move to dangle my legs outside.

Why am I doing this? Three reasons Elena, three reasons.

One. Jeremy, Bonnie and Caroline will never be safe with you here. I take a deep breath.

Two. Stefan needs you and you need him. I wriggle closer to the edge and feel my chest tighten with anticipation.

Three. If you don't find him, his martyrdom will be for nothing. Damon will still die, only it will be fighting, protecting his brother or you and if that happens… I jump.


AU Note: thanks for reading this far. i'll apologise right now to the people who don't like Katherine but I truly think she would play a central part in all of this and i'm trying to make it as 'real' as possible. hang in there delena shippers, i know i've been dropping hints but as the pressure mounts there will be a lot of moments where elena and/or damon realise that this could be 'it' they could die at any moment and well... we all know what that generally leads to. (*cough* Ron & Hermione! haha)