Chapter 13
April 2014
"What do you want Katherine?"
"Well right now I'm just a little impressed that I found you alone. No Salvatore in sight."
"Please just leave me alone."
"I just want to know something."
"What?"
"Do you think I don't know your secret? The one your hiding from Damon? I'm a woman Elena, I can read all the signs. The only thing I don't know is Stefan or Damon? Want to tell me?"
"You don't know what your talking about."
"So your not pregnant?"
Elena sucks in a breath and turns away from the window to face Katherine. As soon as she looks at her she knows it was her first mistake because of the smirk she gives her. Elena tries to think of what to tell her but Katherine is too quick.
"I knew it. I just don't know if that baby of yours is Stefan's or Damon's. Is it Damon's and he chose me so your going to punish him by keeping his baby and raising it with someone else? Or is it Stefan's and you don't want Damon to know because then he'll know you lied about your relationship with Stefan. We all know how much Damon hates lies. You'd just be another one."
"Another one what?"
"Just another one who loved Stefan more, and here you were suppose to be the one that would always choose Damon."
"What do you want from me Katherine?"
"I want what I have always wanted. You gone. Keep that baby and yourself away from Damon."
"Why?"
"It's simple really. I. Hate. You."
"Well Katherine, I hate you too. It's old news. I'd ask you why you hate me considering I never did anything to you but I don't need to ask something I already know."
"Enlighten me then darling. I'd love to hear it." The saccharine laced voice goes right through her. She wishes he could see how fake she was.
"I have what the others didn't. Sage wanted him to be just like her, Lexi wanted him to be some better version of what she thought he should be, Rose just wanted someone to replace the love she lost and Andie wanted to make her way to the top any way she could. I know him, all of him, all the bad and all of the good. I've seen it and I love him despite it all. I have never wanted him for any other reason that I just love him. I don't want to change him. I never have. You can say you loved him longer and I do believe you love him in some way but I can love him better. I do love him. Stefan is one of my best friends Katherine. He told me that you thought Damon loved me. You saw that I make him happy the way he deserves, even if he doesn't know how I love him. That's why you went after him. You knew Stefan would never choose me over you, but Damon was tired of waiting for you. That's when Sage and the others came into the picture. When he was tired of all of them he came home. To me. I am his home Katherine. You can be his slut, you can be his wife, but you will never be his home. So when you saw that you were losing him you had to pull him back in. Why won't you just let him go Katherine? We both know you are in love with Stefan."
"Not long ago you were in love with Stefan."
"If you were in love with the first person you would have never fell in love with the second."
"I did."
"No! You fell in love with Stefan first, you were never in love with Damon. Even he knows that deep down. He did everything he could to get you to give him a chance and you threw it back in his face by dating his brother. How he forgave you I will never know."
"If he knows that deep down then why is he with me Elena? Why is he not here with you?"
Her taunting is the worst because it has a purpose. That's what hurts Elena most of all. Katherine being right, when she's just so wrong.
"Because he so badly wants to believe that the first person he fell in love with loves him back. Because he wants to believe he is your first choice, not Stefan."
"Oh Elena, you were always the love sick one. Here's the thing Ms. do the right thing all the time, like you said he doesn't know you love him. You are his friend and that's all your ever going to be. Even if he thought for a second he did love you I am the one he's going to marry him. I'll make sure of it."
The word marry hits her like a ton of bricks. The breath is knocked right out of her. All she knows is he can't marry her. She has always know how Damon has felt about Katherine, but never did she think that he would marry her.
"Why?"
"Because I can."
"Can't you just give me a real answer? You know Damon loves you, you know Stefan is in love with you so why hurt both of them?"
"You know the answer to that. Damon is the head of Salvatore Enterprises. He is powerful, and strong. I like strong and powerful Elena. Stefan knows that. He also knows I love him, and that he will always be my first choice. Again dear, as per your words, I do love Damon, and I just as much love using your own words against you."
"You have both the Salvatore's wrapped around your finger and I just don't see how they don't see what a manipulative bitch you are. They will, one day and you will be so sorry."
"Is that a threat?"
"It's a promise."
"And what are you going to do dear Elena? Hmm? Tell Damon? Stefan loves Damon too much to come between his brother and the girl his brother has loved for so long. That's why he let me go. Not because I was a fling or he didn't love me. Damon knows a part of me always will love Stefan, but he thinks I'm in love with him. That's what matters."
"He will never believe what you say."
"I will though."
They both turn with a gasp to see the man in the door way. Elena can tell by his face he heard the whole conversation.
In that moment her heart breaks for both brothers. She knows there is a real possibility that Katherine's love will cause the brothers hate for one another that neither might be able to forgive. Stefan having the love he's always wanted from Katherine, and her playing him like a fool, she doesn't want to think how badly Damon will lash out.
"I can explain."
"Shut up Katherine! I don't want to hear it."
"Damon please. You need to listen to me. She's lying to you."
"No! Your lying! I can't even look at you right now. Did you just come up here to torture Elena? What did she ever do to you?"
"She's trying to come between us Damon. How can't you see that? She wants you for herself."
"Elena isn't selfish like you Katherine. She would have let me be happy with you. It's what she thought I wanted."
"You can still want it Damon. It's okay. Forget about her."
"I slept with Elena on Valentines Day."
She flinches at the way he says the words. Hard, cold, like a weapon, used for hurt.
"We can get past this Damon, you were drunk, it was a mistake."
For the first time ever Elena wants Katherine's words to be true, she wishes he was drunk, it would be easier to blame it on the alcohol. It would be easier for her to accept than it was simply a mistake.
"It's not okay. I knew you'd come home and I still went to her. It wasn't a mistake. I was sober. I knew what I was doing, I wanted her. I wanted her more than I ever wanted you."
His confession stuns both Katherine and Elena.
"I'm glad I heard what I heard, it makes everything so much easier. I want you to get the hell out away from me. Pack your shit and get out of my house."
"Damon you don't mean that."
"I do, and I want you to stay away from Stefan too. If you don't I will out you for the lying, manipulative tramp you are."
"You will regret this Damon."
"Not as much as you will. If people find out what kind of person you really are do you think you'll ever be able to be someone? You did this Katherine. You could have stayed with Stefan and been happy but you had to try and have it all. Look where it got you, alone, filled with hatred from yourself and everyone else. Don't ever come near Elena again."
Damon walks away from Katherine more easily than ever before, and he makes his way over to Elena. Elena, who hasn't said a word or moved from the spot she has been in since he laid foot in the room. He takes off his jacket and puts it around her shoulders. He's looking at her with something in his eyes that she hasn't ever seen before.
"Come on Elena let me take you home. Okay?"
"Okay."
Because now it is now or never. Katherine knows and she needs to tell him before she does. Katherine is right, Damon hates lies, and this...what they created is not a lie. It's the biggest and best truth Elena could want.
Thank you so much for all the reviews! I love writing this story and I'm so glad that you guys enjoy reading it.