Disclaimer: This story is based on characters created by L.J. Smith, as portrayed in the TV series created by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec. All rights to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.

Author's note: As Shakespeare would say: the shith hath hitteth the fan… or something like that : )

TWELVE NIGHTS

~ NINE ~

Tuesday.

Elena's phone buzzed, waking her. Of course, it was the disposable cell phone she'd gotten when she decided to impersonate Jeremy. Her own phone was still turned off. She couldn't risk Damon overhearing her answering her phone. She reached out and grabbed 'Jeremy's' phone and opened the text message.

Breakfast? /xoxo Kat

Elena glanced over at Damon's sleeping form. Kat should be asking him to breakfast, not her. It wasn't fair to him, Kat leading him on like that. Kat had admitted to Elena she was into Jeremy. Or who she thought was Jeremy. Elena supposed she should be flattered; she must play a boy quite convincingly. But she had to make things clear to Kat. Make her realize there was no future for them.

Got classes. Sorry.

Ok, so she would deal with Kat later. Elena got out of bed and ducked into the shower with her change of clothes. Showering with Damon in the room gave her chills. And not of the unpleasant kind. She had to stop this. She had to stop thinking about Damon. He was clearly into Kat. Elena let out a sigh of frustration and instantly covered her mouth. She did not sound like a guy just now. Please, don't let Damon be awake.

Jeremy had great news for his sister. If only she would answer her phone. After trying her cell for hours, he finally decided to go ahead and get himself over to the college. The doctors had been so pleased with his progress that he was let out early. Life was going great for Jeremy. He had even met a girl. Anna. She was the first person to ever really get him. They had similar backgrounds and were struggling with the same kind of issues. She was getting out next week and he couldn't wait to see her again.

Elena was relieved to see that Damon was still sleeping soundly when she got out of the shower. She got her book bag and cell phone and left for class. While in the shower, Elena had thought about the situation with Kat and finally figured out what to do. She would call Kat, as Elena, and tell her that what she's doing isn't fair to Damon or Jeremy.

After her morning classes, Elena took a walk around campus, making sure she was out of earshot before taking out her own phone and calling Kat.

"Hi, is this Kat?" Elena said as a girl answered.

"Yeah, sorry, I was just eating. Hi, how've you been?" With caller-ID, Kat already knew it was Elena.

"I've been good, thanks. I just wanted to check in and see how everything's working out for you."

"Well… I did something…"

"Spill."

"Ok, but don't be mad, ok? I know you like Damon, but he's really not a good guy. He's hurt so many girls, and it's only fair that he gets a taste of his own medicine, don't you think?"

"What did you do, Kat?"

"Well… I went out with him and then I told him I wanted to go back to his place."

"And…?"

"And I knew Jeremy would be there… I was hoping to make him jealous."

"So…"

"So I made out with Damon, and everything went as planned. Jeremy looked so mad!"

I was not, Elena wanted to object. But she held her tongue.

"So… you're basically using Damon to make Jeremy jealous?"

"Yeah… oh, I know it's bad of me, but Jeremy's so great and…"

"Don't you think he deserves honesty?"

"I've been trying to send him signals, you know, to let him know I'm interested, but it's like he doesn't get it…"

"Well, he's my brother and I love him, but Jer's thick… you need to spell it out for him. Tell him exactly how you feel and be prepared for the fact the he might not feel the same way."

"You're right. I should tell him. Better yet, I'll show him," Kat said determined.

"Uh- wait- what?"

"The next time I see him, I'm just gonna walk right up to him and kiss him like there's no tomorrow."

"Uh… Kat…"

"Thanks so much for the talk, Elena. I'll let you know what happens, ok? Bye!" Kat said and hung up before Elena could get another word out.

Oh, this was bad. She would have to stay out of sight. Elena decided to go shopping and stay as far away from campus as possible. She was just about to switch off her phone again when it rang. Stefan. Ugh.

"Yes?" she answered, annoyed.

"Elena, what the hell? I've been calling and calling. Why won't you answer your phone? This guy answered before and he said you left your cell at his place? Are you cheating on me?"

"You seem to have forgotten we broke up, Stefan. What I do or who I hang out with is none of your business."

"Come on, Elena. We break up and get back together all the time. It's what we do best."

"I'm done, Stefan. You wouldn't respect my decisions and you couldn't understand why I would do anything for my family. I don't need someone like that in my life. Don't call me again, I mean it." Elena hung up the phone and switched it off completely.

Damon smiled when he saw Kat walking through the park. She looked so cute, wearing a short pleated grey skirt and a pink cardigan and carrying her books. Her face lit up with a smile, and Damon felt his heart melt. Then he watched in horror as Kat dropped her books, ran up to a boy that looked vaguely familiar, threw her arms around him and kissed him. Damon couldn't believe what he was seeing. He could believe it even less when the boy turned towards him and it was Jeremy. Disgusted and betrayed, Damon walked off.

"I'm late for class, but I'll stop by later, ok, Jer?" Kat said and hurried off.

Jeremy stood frozen, perplexed. Who was that girl and why did she just kiss him? And how did she know his name? He got out his cell phone and tried calling Elena again, for the umpteenth time, but still there was no reply. He would have to find his dorm room on his own.

Elena checked the time, Kat should have classes now. If she could get back to the dorm before running into Kat, she could probably keep hidden for the rest of the night. Elena hurried back to the room and let out a sigh of relief as she leaned back against the door. Her relief didn't last long, though, because Damon's palms hit the door on either side of her face. Elena drew a breath as she saw the fury burning in his eyes.

"D- Damon… what's wrong?" Elena asked, trying to keep her voice steady. Jeremy wouldn't be scared of Damon, he would be insolent. But Elena wasn't like Jeremy; she wasn't willing to take a punch. And Damon, thinking she was Jeremy, might just plant a fist in her face.

"How could you, Jer?" Damon growled.

"I- I don't understand."

"Don't play dumb!" Damon slammed his hand against the door. "I saw you!"

"Saw what?"

"You and Kat," Damon growled, turning his back on Elena and pacing around the room, his fists clenching.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Damon!" Elena exclaimed, following him. "I haven't seen Kat today."

"Liar!" Damon spun around and shoved Elena. She yelped as his hands connected with her chest. Damon's brows furrowed at the unexpected sound and his anger turned into confusion.

Elena squirmed under Damon's probing stare. She had to get out of here. Without a second thought, she darted for the door. Damon's reactions were fast, though, and his hand locked around her wrist. She gasped at the pressure and he stared at her in confusion. Slowly, he raised her wrist to his chest, using his other hand to pull down the fabric of her sweater.

"Such a small wrist…" he mused, "… such delicate fingers…"

"What big eyes you have," Elena mocked.

Damon let go of her hand, and his eyes searched her face. There was something so familiar about those eyes. Of course, he and Elena were twins, but… Damon didn't realize what he was doing, he just knew there was something wrong, and he reached up to Elena's hair, running his fingers through it.

"What are you doing?" Elena breathed.

Her words seemed to snap Damon out of his trance and he took a step back, shaking his head at himself. What was he thinking? "You should go," he said abruptly, turning away.

Elena was quick to obey and she darted out of the room. Running down the halls, she ran right into a copy of herself. "Jer!"

"'Lena? Woah, you look just like me." He stared at her in amazement.

"Come on, we need to get out of this hallway," Elena said, pulling him into one of the bathrooms. "What are you doing here?" she asked as soon as they were out of sight.

"I got out early. I've been trying to call you, but your phone's been off."

"Oh, right… I shut it off to avoid getting busted by my roommate."

"So what have I missed?"

"I just had a fight with my roommate because the girl he's interested in kissed me – or, well, 'Jeremy'."

"You kissed a girl? So did I!"

"No, I didn't kiss a girl! He just thinks I did. I don't know why he would think that, but… wait- did you just say….?"

"Yeah, this girl just ran up to me and kissed me, just when I got to school."

"Kat… so that's what Damon saw…"

"Wait- so who's who here?"

"Damon's your roommate, and Kat is the girl who kissed you, who, coincidentally, Damon is into. She's been using him to make 'Jeremy' jealous."

"So where do we go from here?"

"Well, you need to step back into your shoes, so to speak. Damon's getting suspicious. Just now, I thought he had figured it out. Oh, and you need to check in with the RA every night before eleven. His name's Rick."

"What are you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna get back to living my life, and try to forget any of this ever happened. But, I've actually become friends with Kat, and I might enroll here and stay with her. So I guess you're stuck with me, bro," Elena smiled.

"Fine by me – on one condition, of course."

"What?"

"That you dress like a girl!"

Elena chuckled and wrapped her arms around her brother. "I've missed you, Jer."

"I've missed you too, sis."

"So… you should probably stay in here for awhile longer. I need to get away from the campus, and you should probably give Damon a chance to cool down. Here's your room key," Elena dug out a key and handed it over. "Now promise you'll be good."

"I've got it from here, sis, don't you worry."