Katherine charged down the corridor, spotting Stefan at the end of it. He looked up and faced her.
"I need you to kiss me." Katherine said.
"Hello to you too." Stefan replied. "Is Elena alright with this?"
"Don't worry about Elena." Katherine said. Stefan studied her and buried his hand in her hair, leaning in and kissing her gently. Katherine broke away. "No, kiss me like you want to get slapped." She said. Stefan stared at her, sped her to a nearby wall and pinned her body to it with his own. Then he kissed her hard, Katherine fumbling her hands along his body. No voice. Nothing.
Stefan and Caroline had figured out Katherine was inhabiting Elena two weeks ago. Although, before those two weeks, 'Elena' broke up with Damon and Stefan got her back. Only then did Stefan realize he didn't care. He was in love with Katherine again, as strange as that sounded. But Elena still talked inside her mind, still controlled her body sometimes. Damon hated it but it wasn't up to him when she left. Katherine broke their kiss again and Stefan studied her.
"What, is Elena stopping you?" Stefan asked. Katherine bowed her head, thinking.
"No, that's the problem, she's gone. I don't know what happened but she isn't talking anymore." Katherine replied. "She got so mad when I kissed you at the hotel room…"
"You thought Elena would come back." Stefan finished for her. Katherine nodded. "Why do you care about Elena even coming back? I mean Damon would be out of the picture, you'd have me all to yourself." Stefan asked suspiciously. Katherine scoffed.
"If there's one thing I admire about Damon now, he takes vengeance seriously. If I were to blame for Elena being gone he'd kill me, you and I both know that. But Damon losing his true love isn't the only reason I need to get Elena back." Katherine replied.
"Why then?" Stefan asked. Katherine looked away and thought about her answer.
"I've been inside this new body for a few months now. I've got my daughter back, I have you," Katherine said happily, making him smirk "But I also got Elena's memories. Of her life. I have some of her feelings."
"Not about me I hope." He joked. Katherine gave him a look.
"No, not about you. But about Jeremy. The witch, Care-bear, Matty blue-blue. Alaric. All the people she loves and what they mean to her, her memories with them. I understand why she is the way she is now. I lost my entire family when I ran from Klaus. But she loses people all the time. I killed her brother and she lost it. She lost every parent she's ever had, she lost Bonnie, and nearly lost Caroline…I lived those moments through her. Felt like Bonnie and Caroline loved me. Felt like I was loved again. Even if Elena hates me for knowing all of that, I get her. I don't want her to die anymore. I'm surviving, I'm living. I'm loving." Katherine said. Stefan smiled at her and held her cheek.
"It's good to know you don't want her dead. Because Damon would kill me too." Stefan said. Katherine gave him a look.
"Why?"
"Because I would be defending you from getting killed." Stefan replied. She smiled at her and kissed him again then pulled away. She stared at him.
"What're we gonna do?" Katherine asked. Stefan looked away.
"I have an idea."
Katherine and Stefan searched for Damon, finding him in the library. Damon glanced up at them.
"So is this the bitch or the girl I love coming to see me" Damon grumbled. Katherine sighed.
"If you know another doppelganger around that can house me, do tell. Otherwise you're stuck with me still." Katherine replied.
"May not be. Stefan will get over his newfound love for you in a week or a month." Damon said, then looked at her. "Then he'll stab you with the Traveler's knife and I get Elena back." He grinned. Stefan glared at him.
"Hate her all you want, Damon. But Elena needs you right now." Stefan said. Damon looked at him.
"What? What's going on?" He looked at Katherine "Is Elena alright?"
"That's just it, I don't know. But if you kiss me, she'll come back." She replied. Damon looked at her suspiciously.
"This isn't just some ploy to relive old times is it?" Damon asked. He glared at Stefan. Stefan clenched his jaw.
"We're not trying to hurt you or Elena. Katherine thinks this will work."
"Oh she thinks it'll work." Damon spat at him.
"It's not like we have a manual for this sorta thing, Damon! Now do you want to try every possible thing to get Elena back or not?" Stefan snapped. Damon clenched his jaw and looked at Katherine.
"Elena hasn't been talking in your head recently?" Damon grumbled at her. "You haven't been pushing her back?" She shook her head.
"I kissed Stefan to bring her out but she didn't do anything. But maybe she will if I kiss you." Katherine replied. Damon nodded with a distasteful look in his eye.
"Well then." He said sarcastically. "Let's get this over with."
"Pretend I'm Elena if you have to." Katherine replied. Damon ignored her and kissed her without a touch. Katherine kissed him back, savoring his lips, how his tongue darted into her mouth. All of Elena's memories of kissing him were nice, and she loved Damon just as much she loved StefanDamon pushed her back against the wall and lifted her slightly. She panted, running her fingers through his hair, and heard a sigh.
It wasn't her own. It came from her mouth but she hadn't made the sound.
"Elena" Damon whispered, kissing her again. Katherine kissed him one more time, making sure Elena was back. Elena pushed away from Damon, falling back to the ground and slapping Damon, hard. Damon stumbled back, a crazy smile on his face. Elena stood before him.
"Damon what the hell?!" Elena snarled.
"Katherine said you were gone, she and Stefan were trying to get you back." Damon replied.
"And you trusted her?" She demanded
"Well you're back, aren't you?" Damon demanded in return. "When was the last time you remembered being out here?" He asked before Elena could open her mouth. She looked away.
"Th-three...days ago..." Elena realized. Damon shrugged
"There you go." He replied. Elena looked at him.
"We need to get her out of me. This isn't working anymore." Elena replied.
"It was working before?" Damon countered. Elena gave him a look.
"Stefan needs her now. It's weird but Katherine's become a better person around him too." Elena said. Damon studied her.
"I'm sorry, is that Katherine talking again?"
"I'm serious Damon. We need to do something." Elena replied. Damon shrugged.
"I think it'll take some serious convincing for me to help her." Damon said, taking some steps in toward her with a smile. Elena smiled in return.
"And if Katherine comes back?" Elena asked
"I'm sure I'll find out the easy way. But for right now," Damon said, taking her hand "we should enjoy what time we have."
