Authors Note: Apologies if by the end of this chapter Katherine doesn't really seem like herself, next chapter will seem more familiar territory. ;)

Katherine hadn't even flinch as she felt the hand connect with the side of her face and the stinging outcome of it.

She saw it coming and definitely expected as much from her occasionally hotheaded brown-eyed doppelgänger.

The vampire worked her jaw lightly. "I...deserved that."

Elena continued her glare towards her ex-lover, and shoved the vampire hovering over her protectively away from her body roughly. "You deserve a lot more than that."

Katherine let the girl push her away and sucked in an unnecessary breath of air before exhaling. "Elena, I can explain." She started, only to be pushed back once again as she started closer towards her other half.

To make matters more difficult, not wanting to feel trapped, Elena circled the vampire so that now her back was against the tree.

"Oh, I think you better." The human doppelgänger' voice dripped with bitterness. "And tread very lightly."

The vampire held her hands out in front of her in a non-threatening manner. "Okay, just-just listen and let me finish before you say anything, okay? I'm gonna make this quick because well..." Her eyes flickered up to the house before back down into identical soft-brown ones.

Elena's eyebrows furrowed, crossing her arms. "You're doing that?"

The taller doppelgänger's eyebrows furrowed to match. "Of cour-" She sighed. "Elena, that's not the point. I want to explain to you the reason I left, okay? I need you to know I only left to protect you."

The opposite of her scoffed, cutting her off. "Please, there was no ripper then, no evil witches-"

"Elena-"

"Or werewolves or ghosts-"

"Elena..."

"There were no demons, hybrids, or beasts-"

"Elena!"

Elena could tell the vampire was very quickly loosing her patience and she wanted it, she wanted the truth. "There wasn't anything, Katherine! So why the h*ll should I even begin to believe that!-"

"Why!? You wanna know why! Because there was me!" The vampire yelled, arms flailing momentarily losing her temper. "...a-and there was Klaus."

Elena's hardened glare was a mixture of confusion. "You?"

"And Klaus." The non-human doppelgänger added quickly.

Hesitating only for a moment, the teenager 's gaze hardened once more. "Klaus? You want me to believe Klaus was after me?" She stated in disbelief.

"Is , is after you, Elena. God, I shouldn't even be here right now!" In the vampire's frustration she spun around hitting the almost barren tree, leaving a hole in its centre.

Elena slightly flinched as the wood split, but continued glaring at the vampire's back. "...Because you're...putting me in danger?"

"Yes." The vampire breathed out roughly, placing both hands on the tough, rigid, bark of the tree, back still to the human doppelgänger, making her sigh in annoyance.

"So you just chose for me? You just chose to leave without even talking to me about this! Without saying a word to me!? God, not even a note Katherine, seriously!? The Salvatore's told me you were a flight risk but I thought I was different-I thought after everything we've been through together! And to think, I actually thought you gave a sh*t about me!"

"You don't-you don't think I give a-" The vampire squeezed her eyes shut before snapping them open. "Elena, I left because of you, for you! You don't think that if I had a choice, I wouldn't have stayed, that leaving you that night had hurt me as much as it hurt you! You are everything to me! Elena, I love-" The doppelgänger abruptly stopped herself.

"Y-you what?"

"Nothing!" She swallowed, voice softening. "Nothing Elena, it doesn't matter anyway."

That hurt.

The human glowered at that, crossing her arms. "Wow, I didn't know you cared so much." Her sarcasm burned the vampire's insides.

"...Why? Why won't you just understand I left to protect you, Elena!? I did it for you!"

"I know that, you already said that!"

The vampire's hands slammed against the tree once more. "Then why are you still so angry at me!?"

"'Cause I didn't want you dead! Nor did i want you gone! I loved you too! You...you...augh!"

Elena's chest heaved, tears burning her eyes as she took a step closer to the older girl who still had her back turned to her but noticeably had tensed. "I-I loved you, I still love you...and you just left! You left! A-and I, I couldn't, I-" The brunette let out a heart wrenching sob, arms moving down to hug her sides.

And Katherine, no matter how hard she tried, couldn't block out her doppelgänger's sobs.

The vampire squeezed her eyes shut once again, a few stray tears leaving her own irises. "I love you too." It was barely above a whisper, but it still managed to reach the other brunette's ears.

And in less than a second, (due to Katherine's vampire speed of course) the two were in each other's arms.

Katherine's arms clutched around the teenage girls body as Elena's arms went around the vampire's neck, holding on for dear life as she buried her head into the other brunette's shoulder, tears wetting staining her jacket, but she knew the vampire wouldn't care.

Katherine whispered soothing words into the girls ear, pulling her human doppelgänger even closer. "I love you." She whispered, before clearing her throat a bit uncomfortably. "But y-you can't love me back, Elena."

That definitely came as a surprise and had Elena had any real desire to step out of the vampire's arms, that would have been in that moment. "Why?" It was whispered just as softly, sending a shiver down the vampire's spine. "Why can't I love you?"

Katherine sighed, tightening her grip around her, only slightly. "Why would you? The list goes on Elena, I don't deserve you, because you deserve the very best, because I'm only going to end up hurting you in the end, like I already have...beca-because I can't stay."

"What?"

This time she pulled away from her. "Why-"

"Elena, my only reasons for coming back here was to make sure you were being kept safe from Stefan and making sure Klaus hadn't found out about you..because he will, Elena." The vampire backed off a little, still keeping the teenagers hands in hers. "He will if I stay here and I can't let that happen."

Elena glared but Katherine shrugged it off.

"I'm not gonna sacrifice your life to stay here with you, I'm sorr-"

"Then take me with you."

Authors Note: Intense, huh? Or is it Dramatic? This is only the beginning...Til' next time, Review.