Katherine had been in her home with Jeremy and Jenna. How had she gotten invited in? Insecurity and anxiousness flooded Elena. Had Katherine been at the house for long? What did she do or say while she was here? Elena did not have time to think over every possibility because Jenna was still staring at her, waiting for a response.

Elena let out an awkward laugh and shook her head, "Right, I know. Sorry I just kind of blanked."

Jenna eyed Elena wearily but then she chuckled. Jenna glanced past Elena and smiled widely. Elena turned and saw Dean and Alaric walking towards them. They both looked at ease and relaxed. Elena could sense that Dean was comfortable, but when he looked at her his mood wavered. Dean could tell that something was wrong just based on Elena's facial expression.

"You boys having fun?" Jenna teased.

Alaric shrugged, "Dean is an interesting guy," he extended his hand towards Elena, "I'm Alaric, nice to meet you."

Elena shook his hand, "Nice to meet you."

Alaric held her gaze and focused on her, "Heard a lot about you." Alaric had a picturesque smile that reached his eyes. The way Jenna looked at him showed just how happy he made her.

"Good things I hope," Elena paused, "You two going out to dinner?"

Jenna nodded, "Yes, actually we should get going."

"Have a good night you two." Dean grinned cheekily.

Jenna and Alaric laughed in unison and then they were out the front door. Alaric glanced back at Elena before he closed the door behind him. The smile that Elena had plastered on her face disappeared. She moved to sit on the stairs and set her head in her hands. Dean looked at Elena, concern washed over his features.

"So what's he like?" Elena motioned towards where Alaric had stood.

Dean shrugged, "Nice enough I suppose. What happened out here? You don't look so good."

"Katherine was in the house." Elena looked up at him.

"What? How do you know?" Dean asked urgently. He looked around the room; now feeling like the house was not secure.

Elena threw her hands up, "I was telling Jenna that I did miss her and I was, I don't know, I was bothered by how distant she was towards me. And then she said last night when I got home she was more than happy to see me."

Dean raised his hand and clenched the bridge of his nose. They had enough to worry about, but what risk Katherine posed was completely unknown. Elena felt uneasy as she sat in her own home.

"This is friggin' great." Dean muttered as he leant against the staircase.

"What do we do?" Elena asked.

Dean rubbed the back of his neck. He could tell how much she was struggling and how tired she was.

"Let's go get some dinner." Dean suggested, completely throwing off Elena. She scoffed and stared at Dean.

"You want to get dinner?" Elena repeated, confused.

"Yes I do. I mean what else are we going to do? We're sitting ducks if we stay here, we might as well get out of the house. Plus, it will give us some time to talk." Dean was proud of his proposal.

Elena felt her stomach knot. She wondered what Dean had thought about her journal and reading about her life. Thus far, he was acting no differently. In fact he seemed calmer than Elena had seen him recently.

"What about Jeremy? We can't just leave him here." Elena wondered how much Dean had thought this out.

Dean rolled his eyes, "He left while you were sleeping."

"You just have an answer for everything, don't you?" Elena smiled.

Dean nodded, "So what do you say? Want to get a bite to eat with me?"

Elena raised her eyebrow, "You asking me on a date, Winchester?"

Dean chuckled, "Yeah, I guess I am."

Elena smiled, "Okay."

OoOoOo

The Grill was the most popular place in Mystic Falls and it held true even now. Elena and Dean decided a casual night with bar food would be a good idea. As they moved through the crowd of people to be seated in a secluded booth in the back, eyes followed them. Elena knew most of the people who were there. It was a mixture of curiosity and surprise.

It was a corner booth that allowed Elena and Dean to sit directly beside each other. "Can I get you two something to drink?" The waitress asked, her eyes more focused on Dean. He didn't even look up from the menu as he asked for a beer and Elena ordered a water.

Dean set the menu down, "Pretty popular, huh?" Dean smiled at Elena.

"I was once believe it or not." Elena laughed.

They made quick small talk and ordered their food. Dean of course over ordered, but Elena knew he would eat everything that put before him. Once the waitress left, they both knew that they would have some time before she came back.

"So you read it?" Elena asked.

Dean nodded, "Every word."

"And?" Elena was curious to how Dean was going to respond.

Dean looked at Elena, "I'm glad that you trusted me enough to read it. I didn't know half the things that you wrote about. Honestly, I can't believe I didn't ask more." Dean was initially frustrated with himself that he had never really asked Elena any personal questions. He knew she lived with her aunt and brother, she was a cheerleader, and she dated a vampire briefly. But the way she penned her thoughts and emotions about everything going on in her life was indescribable. She had a beautiful outlook on life.

Elena shrugged, "There were more pressing matters."

Dean shook his head, "It doesn't matter," he paused, "I'm sorry about your parents. What were they like?"

"They were great…I don't think I realized how much I loved them until they were gone. I still miss them." Elena admitted. After their deaths, a part of her had changed. She had experienced true guilt and loss, emotions she had never faced before.

Elena took a breath, "So much changed after they passed. Before, Jeremy was so happy and actually went to class. I cheered and cared so much about being popular and it all seemed so important. The night they died, we were supposed to be having a family night. And I didn't go."

Dean remained quiet, allowing Elena to speak.

"I'm sorry, you know all of this." Elena flushed.

"That doesn't mean you can't talk about it. I want you to." Dean encouraged.

Elena gave a soft smile, "I just wish I would have been different. I know their deaths aren't my fault, but I still feel the guilt. I know I can't change any of it, but I still think about it."

Dean stared at her, "They would be proud of you."

"Thanks Dean." Elena murmured. She and Dean had more in common than she had ever thought. Both of them had lost their parents. Both of them had a younger brother they were fiercely protective of. They both understood feeling isolated and guilty.

Dean cleared his throat; "You don't write anymore?"

Elena shook her head, "Not really."

Dean studied her, "Maybe you should?"

Elena smiled at Dean, her hand resting over his. "I have someone to tell all of that stuff to now."

Dean smiled and Elena's heart thumped in her chest.

She leant in and gently pressed her lips to Deans. His lips were soft and inviting. She smiled against his lips, feeling satisfied and comfortable. It was the most relaxed she had been in a long time.

"What was that for?" Dean asked.

"I just wanted to." Elena murmured.

The waitress came back over, "How you two doin'?" She asked. Dean replied politely and Elena smiled.

As soon as the waitress walked away, Elena moved out of the booth. "I'll be right back."

Dean nodded as he took a sip of his drink.

He was feeling pretty content too.

OoOoOo

Elena walked out of the bathroom stall, just like she had done hundreds of times before. It still struck her as odd being back at the grill. This used to be her favorite place to spend time with friends and let loose. It just didn't feel that way anymore.

She turned the faucet on and washed her hands quickly. She slowly lifted her head up to look at her reflection in the mirror, but instead saw an infuriated Damon behind her. She inhaled sharply then twisted to face him.

"Damon, what are you doing in here?" Elena asked, still startled.

Damon stared at her and then with inhuman speed stood before her. She stiffened, beginning to feel uncomfortable. He studied her, staring at every corner of her face. She raised her eyebrows.

"What?" Elena bit out.

"It's amazing, the resemblance. You really had me fooled the other night, but not anymore." Damon gripped Elena's forearms and she let out a pained gasp. She tried to wrestle away from Damon but he only tightened his grasp on her.

"Damon, let me go! I'm not Katherine!" Elena shrieked.

Clearly, he did not believe her. Damon spun her around and slammed her up against the bathroom stall. Elena grunted and tensed at the pain that shot up her back. Damon immediately let go of her when he realized that it was really Elena before him.

"Elena?" Damon knelt down and looked at her.

"I told you." She snapped. Her body throbbed and she knew there would be a bruise. Damon's strength was beyond that of a human and he exhibited it.

"I thought you were Katherine." Damon shook his head.

Elena's eyes widened, "Katherine is here?"

Damon nodded, "I saw her walk into the Grill. I didn't even know you were in town."

Elena got to her feet, "Well I didn't exactly announce it." She turned to leave the bathroom.

"Where are you going? Don't you think this requires a little discussion?" Damon's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Yeah, after I tell Dean she's here." Elena said over her shoulder.

OoOoOo

"That was fast." Dean observed as Elena slid into the booth beside him. Elena smiled up at him sweetly, her eyes twinkling. He felt his chest swell, after tonight's dinner Dean felt even closer to her.

She rested her hand on Dean's upper thigh and he looked down at her, his eyebrow raised. Without a word she leant into him and pressed her lips into his. Dean attempted to not show his surprise and returned the kiss. She smiled against his lips and softly nipped his lower lip. She slipped his tongue into his mouth and moved her hand over his jeans. Her hand

But something felt different. Dean pulled back, "Elena, what's gotten into you? Don't get me wrong, I like it, but it's a little unlike you?" He registered right away that it was not Elena. It had to be Katherine. He reached down towards his boot where he hada knife sheathed.

"That's because it's not Elena." Damon drawled.

She bit her lip and shrugged, feigning innocence.

"Come on Katherine." Damon pulled her up roughly by her upper arm and out of the booth.

Dean looked up towards the restroom where Elena had gone in before.

"You too chisel chest. Elena's outside." Damon called.

Dean cleared his throat and followed the two vampires outside. While he didn't trust Damon, he believed him in this moment. They walked down a dark alley beside the grill and Elena was standing there. Her arms were crossed, her jaw clenched angrily.

Dean moved over to her and put his hands on her face, looking at her. He noticed the redness around her wrist. Her cheeks were flushed. "Did he hurt you?" Dean whispered.

Elena shook her head, "He thought I was Katherine."

"That doesn't matter. I'm going to kill that son of a bitch." Dean spoke sharply.

"Oh calm down." Damon still had a firm handle on Katherine.

Elena looked past Dean and saw her doppelganger for the first time. She glared at her intensely, studying her. It was like she was looking in a mirror but there were subtle differences. Katherine seemed cold and distant, harsh almost. She appeared to be an alternate version of Elena.

"Isn't this cozy," Katherine said completely deadpan, "Now let me go." She yanked her arm away from Damon, but stayed standing beside him.

"Elena…how interesting. It appears we have the same taste in men after all." Katherine grinned at Dean.

Elena glanced at Dean who could only glare at Katherine.

"These two were locking lips like wild teenagers. Tsk, tsk." Damon smiled and his eyes widened briefly.

Elena felt her chest tighten, a feeling she was not expecting. She turned to look at Dean. He cleared his throat, "I thought she was you. I realized she wasn't and Damon showed up."

Elena shook her head. She was angry, and admittedly slightly jealous, as she thought of Katherine kissing Dean. Part of her felt a stab of betrayal from Dean, but she knew They were even dressed the same. "Have you been watching me?" Elena asked.

Katherine shrugged, "When your doppelganger comes to town, one might become inclined to observe from afar."

"Going to my house does not really sound like observing from afar." Elena asked, using Katherine's word choice.

"Well I didn't hurt anyone. And I don't plan to. I just want to talk." Katherine countered.

"Yeah, not buying it." Dean interjected. He was frustrated and angry that he had been fooled. He was worried Elena was going to be upset with him, which would only add tension. At least they had had an hour of peace over dinner.

Katherine raised her eyebrow, "Oh really?"

"Really."

Katherine let out a huff, "Really Dean, you're more fun when you aren't talking."

"I won't be in Mystic Falls much longer. What do you want to talk about?" Elena asked, curious.

Katherine smiled, "I thought you would never ask."

Dean pulled Elena closer to him, his instincts to protect her going into overdrive.

Damon tilted his head to the side, "We should go some place a little more private."

"Ooh, I know! How about the Gilbert residence?" Katherine exclaimed.

Elena shook her head, "No."

"Come on. Jenna is with Alaric and Jeremy is out doing god knows what. No one will be home for a few more hours at least." Katherine explained.

Dean couldn't relax, "We'll meet you there."

He turned away with Elena in tow.

OoOoOo

"I don't like this." Dean ground out, his fingers gripped the Impala's steering wheel.

Elena said nothing.

"I mean, we don't even know what she wants. She's dangling information in front of you that we don't even know if we can trust." Dean said.

Elena nodded, "I know."

"But we're doing this anyway?" He asked.

"Dean, if she wanted to hurt us she would have by now." Elena looked at him. She hated that their night had been ruined by Katherine's arrival. She rubbed her sore wrist and looked out the window solemnly.

Dean agreed.

OoOoOo

It was a scene she had never imagined. They sat in her living room, well Katherine and Elena sat across from each other. Dean stood in the doorway, too anxious to sit. He was waiting for Katherine or Damon to make one wrong move. Damon stood behind Katherine, his expression unreadable.

Elena glanced towards him, "Where's Stephan by the way?" She was genuinely surprised that he had not showed up by now.

Damon gave a tight smile, "He's around. Don't worry about it."

Katherine waved her hand, "Stephan is not important."

Elena pressed her lips as Katherine studied her.

"You haven't realized you're special by now?" Katherine asked. Everything she said sounded mildly impolite. Her tone was condescending, almost defensive. Elena had not gotten over that she was talking to someone who looked exactly like her.

Elena kept her mouth in a grim line, "I don't know if special isn't the word for it."

Katherine rolled her eyes, "If I could go back, when I had the opportunities in front of me that you do now...you're such a foolish girl."

Elena moved to stand up, but Katherine pulled her down. "Wait, wait," she paused, "I know you do not realize what is happening to you, by the time I did, it was too late." Dean had moved beside Elena instantly as soon as Katherine touched her.

"You keep your hands to yourself." He glared at the vampire.

She raised her hands in defense as she sat back down.

Elena saw a flash of humanity in her eyes. "What do you mean?" Elena asked.

Katherine sighed, "Let me guess, you started having visions, maybe some dreams about Dean? At first you ignored them but they became persistent-"

"How did you know that?" Elena interrupted.

` Katherine smiled, but for once, it was not malicious. "And when you met him, you touched you saw everything. Then you stuck by him and you began to feel his emotions, really feel them."

Elena felt sick to her stomach.

"You can't be this clueless. Don't you have that little angel floating around? Hasn't he shared anything?" Katherine asked, bored.

"How do you know about Castiel?" Dean asked.

Katherine shook her head, "Hello, vampire? Creature of hell? We're a part of the supernatural world."

Damon grunted, "The Winchester's aren't exactly under the radar."

Elena waved her hand. She didn't really care about how well known the Winchesters were. Katherine was here giving her answers to questions that had been building.

"So you had someone, like I have Dean." Elena reiterated.

"Operative word being had. I was bonded to someone once, the way you are to Dean now. I fought it and by the time I realized I was wrong he was taken from me." Katherine spoke with a bitterness aimed at no one but herself.

"What happened?" Elena asked cautiously.

Katherine let out an empty laugh, "He died."

Elena looked up to see Dean watching her. Damon stood in the entryway of the room, remaining completely impassive. Elena wondered how much of this Damon had known, if any.

"What happened after he died?" Elena asked

"I became empty. I wasn't myself. Not too long after he passed, I became what I am now. On the plus side, I can turn my humanity off in an instant." Katherine explained.

"Do you still feel it? The bond, even though he's gone?"

"He was the only one I ever loved. I feel his absence always." Katherine looked down and for a moment she appeared to be extremely vulnerable. Elena, for the first time, felt awful for her.

"Why are you telling us all of this?" Dean did not understand and he did not accept handouts.

Katherine shrugged, "It's a favor."

"You don't expect me to believe that." Elena muttered.

Katherine grinned, "I might need something from you one day. Perhaps you'll be a little bit more inclined to help me."

Elena shook her head, "You haven't really answered any questions."

Katherine motioned for Elena to ask them.

"Am I human?"

"Technically, no."

"Then what am I?"

"Not everything has a label Elena."

"Cut the crap Katherine." Dean snapped.

Katherine glared at him, "Just because you're afraid doesn't mean you need to project onto me. I don't know what she is and I don't know what she's capable of."

"Then why are we here?" Damon drawled.

"How close were you to…" Elena trailed off awkwardly, ignoring Damon.

"Closer than you and Dean, but we were more open with our emotions and what the bond between us meant." Katherine seemed almost envious of Elena. She had a chance that Katherine would never have again. No matter whom Katherine loved, it would never be like how it was.

"How do you mean?" Damon asked, curious.

"We didn't shy away from our connection." Katherine watched Elena shift uncomfortably.

Damon tilted his head to the side, a glint in his eye, "How was your so called bond different than what our Elena has here with Dean?" Elena could not mistake Damon's jealous tone.

"It was permanent."

"How?"

"We consummated it." Katherine kept her gaze level with Elena. She felt her cheeks warm. She knew Dean knew she was inexperienced as a lover. It was not something they had discussed.

"Better keep waiting then Elena." Damon's eyes gleamed with amusement.

Dean raised his hand, "This is irrelevant."

"Better keep waiting then, Elena." Damon smirked.

"Shut up," Elena gritted, "How did it change?"

Katherine smiled fondly, "I knew where he was, if he was in danger. Anything else that would have come after that, I don't know."

Dean ran his hands up the side of his face. He hadn't seen anything like this coming. Hearing the word 'permanent' did not send him into a panic for the first time. That worried him more than anything Katherine had said.

Katherine stood up, "Well, I've had enough chit chat for one night."

"We've barely even talked." Elena pointed out, affronted.

Katherine nodded, "I've given you enough information; remember that when I call in that favor. You help me, I help you."

Damon followed Katherine out the door.

Before she exited, Katherine turned to face them, "Trust me Elena, you'll have more questions in the future. Maybe you should look into your bloodlines a little deeper?" Katherine winked and then she was gone.

Elena stared after, not feeling even slightly resolved.

OoOoOo

Elena lay on her bed. Aunt Jenna had not come home yet, neither had Jeremy. She had had a little bit of time to attempt to process what Katherine had said, but none of it made sense to her. Her bloodlines? The bond with Dean? Her mind felt even more overworked.

Elena cleared her throat and called Sam's cellphone. She couldn't help but worry about him. The call went straight to voicemail. She waited for the beep and said, "Sam, it's Elena. Dean and I are in Mystic Falls. We'll probably head out tomorrow, I'm not sure where to. Stay safe, call soon."

As she ended the phone call, Dean walked out of her bathroom. His hair was still wet from the shower and he wore a grey t-shirt and black boxer briefs. He smiled at her and sat beside her.

Elena rested her head on his shoulder, "This has been such a long day."

Dean rubbed the back of his neck, "Uh, yeah, speaking of long day, since there was so much going on I didn't get the chance to tell you some things."

Elena looked at him, "What?"

Dean smiled uncomfortably, and then said, "When I was talking with Alaric earlier, he mentioned Jeremy's new girlfriend."

"Dean, out with it."

"She's apparently a vampire." Dean admitted.

Dean waited for Elena to frown or yell, but instead she stared. Her lips began to quiver and Dean braced for the tears. Instead she laughed so hard she had to cover her mouth. Her eyes watered and she felt tears slipping, but she was not upset. It was to the point that nothing surprised her anymore. She felt like she had no control over anything. If it weren't so sad, it would be funny.

Dean put his hand gently on her shoulder, "You okay?"

Elena nodded and wiped her eyes. "It's ridiculous isn't it? I try and protect him and he runs in the opposite direction, right into what I am trying to shield him from."

Dean understood her helplessness. He couldn't count how many times he had tried to protect Sam for nothing. He lazily traced circles on her back.

"What do you want to do?" Dean asked.

"Alaric is here." Elena whispered.

Dean pulled back surprised, "You givin' up?"

Elena shook her head, "No."

Dean stayed silent.

"Can you still feel me?" Dean whispered.

She glanced at him, "Well not as intensely, but it takes a lot of energy not to. But, you're tired too."

Dean nodded.

"Katherine was not what I expected." Dean murmured. He moved to lie down and Elena moved beside him. He absent-mindedly put his arm over her waist.

Elena agreed, "No she wasn't," Elena paused, and "At least we know more than we did before."

Dean grunted, "If you want to call it that."

Elena gently caressed Dean's scruffy cheek. He hesitated, but looked into her eyes. She kept her breathing steady, but relaxed and allowed herself to freely feel Dean. Emotions and sensations rushed her, but she welcomed it. She felt anxiety, trust, exhaustion, then she focused on stopping the floodgate of his emotions.

"Dean, I need to ask you something." Elena whispered.

He nodded.

"Would you change this if you could? Me being a part of your life now? Especially with everything we learned tonight." She mirrored a question that he had once asked her. Elena thought about everything with Sam, Castiel, and Kevin. Then her life in Mystic Falls, which brought on a whole new plethora of complications. On this trip alone Alaric and Katherine had become parts of the equation.

Dean stared at her, unable to read her. He was not sure if she could feel him. He had seen a lot in his life as a hunter and had many different types of relationships with individuals. He had suffered heartbreak and formed attachments he should not have. But he did not feel that way about her, not in the least. What he felt for Elena was just different. He could not put it into words.

"Elena," he shook his head, "I wouldn't change it."

A/N: Thank you all for reading! Elena still has a lot left to figure out about herself and her family, but all in good time! Reviews are welcome :)