Chapter 14: Special Night Thing

Without looking back Katherine hopped into her car and drove off into the night.

"How can you be so calm? They're getting closer to you everyday." The blue eyed man stated glanced at her.

She smiled back. "We're the respectable ladies of Mystic Falls. Thanks to Emily we walk the streets in daylight…no one will ever suspect us." She explained casting a glance at her friend Pearl.

"Not unless a human tells them." Pearl stated pointedly.

The blue eyed man looked insulted. "I'd sooner die."

Katherine touched his cheek gently. "And soon enough you will." She caressed her lips against his.

Katherine blinked rapidly to shake the images away. How was this happening? Why was she remembering these things and who was this man? All these questions led her to the one place she thought she'd never been to before…Mystic Falls.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A Week Later

New Orleans

Stefan entered a bar off Bourbon Street intending to find a girl to eat and have a drink before continuing his search for Katherine before the sun came up. He hated that he couldn't keep day hours.

It didn't take him long to find a girl to feed on. He was casually walking out the doors with his arm around her when a tall black woman brushed past him. Stefan's eyes narrowed and followed her, catching as she snuck a glance back.

He broke away from his meal, ignoring her calls to come back and hurriedly caught up with the witch. He grabbed her by the elbow and she didn't seem too surprised.

"Can I help you?" Lucy asked, faking a smile.

"You know Katherine?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"I don't what you're talking about." She tried to walk away but Stefan pulled her back.

"I can smell her on you." He grumbled lowly as his eyes darkened dangerously.

Lucy frowned in mild disdain before pulling her arm away from Stefan's grasp. "What do you want?"

Stefan pulled her off to a dark corner and pinned his gaze on her. "Tell me where Katherine is."

Lucy chuckled. "You can't compel me…you honestly think I'm not going to protect myself?" The moment she brushed past him she knew what he was, but his immediate inquiry of Katherine was not expected. The witch grimaced when the vampire painfully gripped her hand.

"Tell me where Katherine is." He growled again menacingly.

Lucy sighed in resignation. There were too many people around for her to make a scene…Katherine would be livid if she did. "Who's asking?"

Stefan let go of her hand, and crossed his arms. "An old friend. Katherine and I have a history together."

Lucy raised an eye brow. "You and a hundred other guys." She chuckled. "Listen, Kat's not gonna like it if I send some random her way…looks like you're outta luck." She tried to move around him but he held her back.

Stefan's attitude changed at her words. "Okay, look…" he sighed, looking down at his feet for a moment. "We had something special…a long time ago, but a spell changed that and now she doesn't remember who I am." He expressed sadly, a bit of his old self seeping through his new persona. "Please just…just tell me where I can find her."

Lucy could see the sincerity in his eyes, and feel the truth in his aura. "There's a bed and breakfast on Toulouse…she's in cottage 6." She divulged. She knew she shouldn't have said anything at all, but she felt safe knowing that he wouldn't find her there.

Without even uttering a thank you, Stefan bolted out of the bar and headed towards Toulouse Street. It didn't take him long to get there, and once he did he wasted no time in compelling the woman behind the desk to let him through to the private cottages.

"This is cottage 6 sir." The lady voiced in a trance, before walking back to the main office.

Stefan waited for her to leave before busting the knob off and entering the dark quiet suite. Something wasn't right…he could smell her here, but it wasn't fresh; he couldn't even sense the presence of another being. Stefan flicked on the light and let his eyes scan the room. It was clearly lived in; clothes were hung up in the closet, shoes were lined up beneath them, and accessories adored the vanity.

But she wasn't here…and it seemed like no one had been here for a while. In a burst of sudden anger Stefan swiped his hand across the entry table, sending knickknacks flying across the room.

He stormed back out, slamming the door so hard it cracked. The witch gave him false information, the bitch. Stefan briefly considered going back to the bar and torturing her until she told the truth…but his anger was making him hungry.

He turned back towards Bourbon Street and scanned the streets for his next meal.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena stood at the entrance of the tomb trying to peer around the corner. She's been here everyday for the past week but Damon wouldn't even come out. "Damon? Please stop avoiding me because I'll be here everyday until you come out." She called to him slightly annoyed. Her words were met with silence. "I'm coming in." she stated with resolve as she stepped forward.

"No…" Damon's raspy voice echoed through the cave. "I don't want you to see me like this." He'd been doing the best he could to ignore her pleas for him to come out the past few days, not wanting to scare her with the way he probably looked.

Elena's voice softened. "I don't care, Damon…I miss you. It's been a week since the last time I saw you." She replied dejectedly.

She could hear him shuffling around. "There's a reason for that." He mumbled.

She sighed deeply. "You need to feed." Elena stated desperately.

"Did you bring blood?" Elena could here the hopefulness in his voice.

Elena could feel the cool pocket knife through her jeans. "Yes…but you have to come here to get it." She held the pocket knife tightly in her hand and made a cut on her arm.

Damon stumbled to the barrier, holding the wall for support as his nose sniffed out the source of the blood. His face was pale, bordering on ashen, and his eyes were listless and sunken in. When he saw the gash on her arm he staggered back. "No…I can't." he rasped roughly.

Elena stepped closer offering her arm out to him. "Damon you have to; it's the only blood I can give you." She moved closer as he retreated farther into the cave.

Damon shook his head. "Then I'll starve."

"Stop being so stubborn and drink…you need it." She demanded, placing her other hand on her cocked hip. She knew he wouldn't want to drink from her, but she thought that in his hunger he would cave.

Damon's eyes never left the gash on her arm, slowly leaking the crimson nectar he longed for. "My control isn't at its best…if I start I-I might not be able to stop." He stuttered swallowing tightly.

"I trust you." Elena replied back confidently.

His eyes snapped up to meet hers, a look on incredulity written on his face. "How can you when I don't even trust myself?" Damon asked his voice restricted with emotion.

Elena smiled. "Because you would never do anything to hurt me." She stated simply.

Damon shuffled closer leaning against the wall and looking at Elena with concerned blue eyes. "I don't want to lose you again." He whispered.

Elena stepped forward so only the barrier was separating them. "You won't…but I could lose you if you don't drink." She could still see the hesitation on his face. "Please Damon." She begged, squeezing her arm to let more blood out of her wound.

The weakened vampire leaned forward as much as he could and Elena stuck her arm through the barrier and gasped lightly as Damon's ice cold hands grasped her arm gently. His mouth slightly open as he brought her arm up to meet his lips, Damon lapped at the blood coating her skin and covered the cut drinking hungrily, but tenderly from her.

It was much different being on the receiving end of this act. For Elena when she was feeding off of Damon she felt the hunger and excitement and the adrenaline…but being fed off of was exhilarating. It was like having your heart speed up and slow down at the same time.

When Damon heard the slow beating of her heart he reluctantly pulled away. He was sated, but having not fed in over a week, he didn't want to stop. Elena flipped her arm upside down, letting the blood drip between them. "What are you doing?" Damon questioned; his voice smoother and his skin gaining color.

"It was something Bonnie said. Only the blood that sealed the tomb can open it…and since I was the only one there then it has to be mine." Elena explained, letting Damon lick her wound closed.

He looked up at the invisible barrier. "Do you think it worked?"

Elena shrugged. "Let's hope so."

Damon hesitantly stepped forward, sighing in relief when he wasn't stopped. Elena threw herself into his arms and he gladly held her close to him. "My girl's a genius." He whispered into her hair affectionately.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The next couple of days were spent blissfully in Damon's bed. Neither wanted to do anything but stay in bed and love each other all day. Both Damon and Elena were prepared to do that for the rest of the week, but Caroline's eagerness to learn more about her vampire life pulled Damon away.

Elena giggled as she remembered her blonde friend bursting through Damon's bedroom door as they lay cuddled under the covers. "Alright…I tried being patient, I tried to give you guys your couple time…but I'm bored and restless and I'm hungry for something other than rabbits." Caroline rattled off rapidly placing her hands on her hips.

That's where he was right now; teaching Caroline the ropes and helping her adapt to the vampire lifestyle.

Caroline and Damon strolled through the forest looking for a clearing.

"And even after everything, you know….she stayed. She didn't leave." Damon stated, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Caroline rolled her eyes subtly. "That's great, Damon."

"I mean you would think after the way I treated her and how I killed all those people, Elena would have walked away but she didn't…what you think that means?" he glanced at her, wondering to himself why he was being so open with a girl he barely knew.

Caroline stopped and faced him head on. "It means she loves you. It means that the decisions you made in the past, doesn't change the way she sees you now, okay? Now can we please stop talking about Elena, I love her, but this is bordering on obsessive." She raised her eyebrows with a nod of conclusiveness.

Damon scoffed with the irony of the word. Obsessive…something he claimed Stefan to be in regards to Elena…now he knew why. "Fine…next lesson: fighting. You have the strength, you have the instinct, but it won't get you far if you don't know how to fight." He replied, all business now. "Now get on the defensive." He waited as Caroline widened her stance and put her fists loosely in front of her face. Damon frowned and rubbed the back of his neck. "This is gonna eat up my whole day." He mumbled to himself.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena left the Boarding House shortly after Caroline's arrive to go home and spend some time with Jeremy. She felt like she wasn't being a very good sister with her disappearing act, sneaking in and out of the house, and her very cryptic way of explaining things.

"Well welcome home, 'Lena." Jeremy called out good naturedly as she walked into the kitchen and placed her purse on the table.

"Hey Jer…" she smiled, trying to assess how sarcastic her brother was being. "I'm sorry I haven't been around as much, it's just I have a lot going on right now." She stated vaguely, dropping her gaze.

Jeremy smirked. "You have a new boyfriend."

Elena's head shot up. "Sorry?"

He tipped his chin towards her. "You're wearing his shirt." Jer snickered at the blush that rose in her cheeks.

Elena glanced down and noticed she was indeed still wearing one of Damon's black button up's. Oh God. She thought to herself. "Shut up." She playfully smacked his arm.

Jeremy leaned away from her almost falling over in the process. "You're lucky Aunt Jenna's not here this weekend." He rolled his eyes at his sister's confused face. "She went up to Duke for a case study? She's been drilling it into our head for weeks. God Elena where have you been? You're like on another planet lately." He commented with worry. "What's goin' on?"

Elena shook her head. "Nothing Jeremy…really." She knew that that wouldn't be enough though. Jeremy was always the more curious one.

"I don't believe you…first that whole thing with Stefan, then you vanished for two weeks…" Elena scoffed at how accurate that was. "your midnight sneak outs, the way you never have a straight answer for anything…don't lie to me, Elena." He said gently, reading for a hint of anything she might not say.

Elena sighed and then nodded. "Okay…you promise to believe me?" she asked and her brother nodded eagerly. "My boyfriend's a vampire." She said deadpanned, looking him dead in the eye. A moment of silence passed between them before Elena burst out laughing. In all honestly saying it out loud was kinda funny. Almost like the title of some Erotica vampire novel.

Jeremy shook his head with a grin. "You think you're funny, huh?"

They spent the next little while hanging out before Jeremy took off to his friend's house to blaze or something. It was almost four hours later when her front door opened and closed.

"Elena?" Caroline voice called out. She wandered into the living room and plopped down next her friend. "Hey!" she chipped, reaching for the bowl of chips on the coffee table.

"Hey…how did it go?"

The blonde beamed brightly. "Great! Damon's a good teacher…he helped a lot." She exclaimed munching away.

Elena chuckled. "Well he's been a vampire for a long time, I'd hope so. What did you guys do?" she pulled her knees up and grabbed a handful of chips.

"Well, first we hit the blood bank; Damon was so stealthy, it was totally cool, then we practiced compulsion; I got to mess with Mr. Higgins-"

Elena groaned. "Ugh, I hate him."

Caroline smirked. "He'll be taking a leave of absence…as per my request." She giggled.

Elena's jaw dropped. "No way!"

"Yes way…what else did we do, oh we sparred and I failed miserably." She grumbled. "We had lunch…real lunch, apparently food and alcohol helps curb the cravings, and then we picked up my ring from Bonnie's…finally! Like how long does it really take to cast a spell on a ring? Honestly?" Caroline rambled on in her usual, no-room-to-take-a-breath way.

Elena smiled fondly. "Sounds like you two had fun. I'm glad."

"All he did was talk about you." She blurted out casually as she munched some more on the chips.

Elena's head shot up. "Really?" She didn't think Damon was the type to gush about a girlfriend. It was sweet.

Caroline rolled her eyes skyward. "Yeah! I'd think it was adorable if it wasn't so annoying. He's not at all how Stefan described him."

Elena smiled fondly. "Well Damon's changed. He's not the person he used to be… Katherine's absence has a lot to do with that." She mumbled looking down and her jeans.

The blonde vampire frowned in skepticism. "Elena you have everything to do with that." In the four hours that they spent together, Caroline could tell that her friend was the reason he had changed. For a guy who barely knew her, he sure shared a lot. "You love him…something Katherine never did and that is what changed him." She said conclusively.

Elena released a deep sigh of relief. She knew Damon loved her; if his words didn't say it than his actions sure did, but she needed to be sure that it had nothing to do with Katherine. "Thanks Care…I think I needed to hear that." She frowned when she realized that in Caroline's excitement she forgot to ask where the vampire in question was. "Where's Damon?"

Caroline waved a hand of dismissal. "Oh he said he had to run a couple of errands, but he wanted me to tell you to come by the Boarding House tonight."

"Oh…" Elena frowned; she was a little disappointed that he didn't come back with her friend…she missed him already. "Did he say when?"

Caroline shook her head.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Later that night Damon set up the bathroom. He was feeling uncharacteristically sweet, and decided to treat Elena to a special 'normal boyfriend' romantic gesture. Candles littered the surface of the counters and ledges, champagne sat chilled in a bucket by the large footed tub, and The Script playing softly in the background. He pulled two roses from the vase on the counter and plucked the pedals off, scattering them over the bath he drew for her.

"Wow."

Damon turned around and smiled brightly at Elena, who was looking around the bathroom. "Elena…I'm glad you came." He grabbed a champagne flute and poured her a glass, sauntering over to her and kissing her full lips and handing her the glass.

She shook her head before smiling up at him. "Of course, what is all this?" She took a sip staring at him over the flute.

Damon's eyes locked on hers. "I just wanted to do something special for you…a thank you."

She shook her head with a shy smile. "You don't need to thank me for-"

"Yes I do." Damon stepped closer to her, bending his head slightly to catch her eyes. "I love you Elena…and you're the only woman to ever love me back." His voice constricted with emotion as his hands cupped her face gently. "You need to know how much that means to me." Damon lowered his head and kissed her passionately holding her close to his body. He noticed her heart didn't race like it usually did with his kiss…it didn't beat at all. Damon shoved her away sending her smashing into the door behind her. "Katherine." He growled lowly.

She straightened herself up, and hid her smirk with a pout. "Aww, and I was just starting to have fun." She eyed the man in front of her hotly.

Damon snarled, pissed at himself for not realizing his mistake earlier. "What the hell are you doing here?" he growled, his entire body tense.

Katherine shrugged casually. "To be honest, I have no idea." She sauntered closer to him slowly, one foot in front of the other. "But I liked where it was going. You are just my type." She raised a hand to trail down his chest but it was quickly thrown away.

Damon frowned in uncertainty. "You don't know who I am?"

"Not a clue." She answered quickly, stepping around him to smell the roses in the glass vase. "But lately I've been getting memories of you and this place…" her eyes cast around the bathroom. "Probably the work of a witch, so I came to investigate." Her eyes landed on him again and a slow smirk crawled up her lips. "And boy, am I glad I did."

Damon's eyes darkened dangerously. "You need to leave before-"

"Elena comes?" Katherine finished for him, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "My doppelganger no doubt, judging by the mistaken identity." Her gaze flickered over the candles and romantic atmosphere of the room before locking on his again. "You two seem awfully cozy…you set this up for her?" She asked trailing her finger along the edge of the tub.

"Leave Katherine!" he bellowed, grabbing her arm and swinging her in the direction of the door.

Katherine chuckled playfully before nodding slowly. "I'll leave…for now." She stated sweetly. "I'll see you soon…" she winked at him and she was gone.

Damon leaned against the counter burying his head in his hands, trying to collect himself. He wasn't prepared for that, and he wasn't prepared for the battle that was sure to come with Katherine's presence. He knew Katherine…she never did anything for nothing. There was something that brought her here other than her memories.

That was another thing he hadn't counted on. Katherine was gaining her memories of him, and that opened a whole new can of worms that he was hoping to keep tightly sealed. Damon looked around the room and the beautiful arrangement he had set up for Elena. It seemed tainted now that Katherine was here; drinking the champagne and smelling the roses that were meant for Elena, hearing the words meant for her, tasting his kiss…he sighed dramatically.

A moment he had been planning all day, ruined by one Katherine Pierce. He pushed himself lazily to his feet intent on blowing out the candles and breaking the bad news to Elena.

"Wow…what is all this?"

Damon's head shot up and in an instant he had Katherine pinned to the wall, his face menacing. "I thought I told you to leave Katherine." He barked irately, his hand gripping her throat. He was furious that she could even think of coming back here, trying to imitate the better version of herself.

Her eyes widened, as she struggled under his hold. "You think I'm Katherine?" she gasped.

Damon saw it then; the surprise, the hurt…he felt the rhythm of her pulse under his hand. "Elena..?"

"Yes! Damon you're hurting me!" she wheezed, her face turning red under the pressure.

Damon immediately released her and moved his hands to her shoulders, cringing as she pulled away. "I'm sorry; I thought…I'm sorry." He repeated not knowing what else to say. He never wanted to see her that afraid of him again.

Elena nodded, taking in a deep breath and exhaling. "Why would you think I'm Katherine?" she asked, finding her voice again. Her hand went up to her neck rubbing the sore spot.

Damon lowered his head, before meeting her eyes again. "She's here."

Her eyes widened. "In the house?" she darted a glance around nervously.

He shook his head. "She was…Elena I never meant to hurt you- you just said the same thing she did and I thought-I didn't think." He corrected himself. Damon reached out to her again and this time she didn't pull away. He interlocked his hand with hers and brought it up to his mouth placing a kiss there, and holding them near his unbeating heart.

She sighed, relaxing slightly at his touch. "It's okay…does she remember you?" she murmured.

Damon frowned. "She said she was getting memories of me and of being here…nothing more. She doesn't know who I am." He explained as Elena wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest.

"Good…I just hope she doesn't stick around." She felt Damon tense and looked up at him curiously. "What is it?"

He couldn't meet her eyes as he spoke. "She knows about you Elena." He admitted softly, looking at a spot over her head. Elena pulled out of his arms her face a picture of alarm. "Katherine knows the doppelganger is in Mystic Falls." He explained further.

"How?" she shrieked. "Unless..." she trailed off as the pieces came together. "You thought she was me." She concluded, catching the look of distress on his face as she voiced this.

Damon felt horrible. He should have been able to tell immediately that it wasn't Elena. "Yes…" he mumbled. "But the second I kissed her I knew it wasn't you." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

Elena's brows shot up in surprise, and she took a step back. "You kissed her?" she threw back breathlessly. She knew she couldn't legitimately be mad at him for this, but it was still shocking to her.

"Not intentionally." He responded earnestly. "I meant to kiss you." He finished softly, his face tortured by the obvious pain laced in her words.

She sighed deeply closing her eyes, and running a hand through her hair. "I know…I'm not mad."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

One Hour Later

"You're mad." Damon observed from his spot next to her on the couch.

Elena sighed. "I'm not mad." She replied unconvincingly. She was mad…but not at him. She was mad at the woman who was about to take everything from her.

Damon muted the TV and turned to her. "Then what's with the silent treatment, hm?" he questioned arching an eyebrow.

Elena's gaze fell to her lap. "I've just got a lot on my mind."

Damon nodded. "Katherine."

She sighed again before turning towards him, fiddling with her hands in her lap. "I just feel like Bonnie's spell to keep Katherine away was pointless." She saw a flash of hurt in his eyes. "Not that I regret it, if she didn't we wouldn't have happened…but now she's back and we have no idea what she wants."

Damon bent his neck slightly and cocked his head to the side, trying to catch her eyes. "Is that all you're worried about?" he asked knowingly.

Elena's lips curved into a wry half smile. "I'd say yes but I know you'll call me out on it." She took a minute before continuing. "Katherine's smart…she'll do what she has to, to get what she wants…" she trailed off.

"And?" Damon knew that there was more she was worried about, he could see it all over her face.

She couldn't even raise her eyes to meet his for fear of the tears that formed there falling. "What if what she wants is you?" she softly uttered, finally addressing the thought on her mind since she heard Katherine was in this house. She knew it was a little silly…people could die, but she was worried if she was going to lose Damon to his ex.

If Damon wasn't a vampire he wouldn't have heard the words, and if she wasn't so sad about that thought he would have laughed. Like what Katherine wanted would ever keep him from her, ha! The only thing that would put a wedge between them would be a stake through his chest. "Unfortunately for her…" he lifted her chin to meet her gaze again. "You are who I want." He flashed her a cheeky smile.

Elena relaxed a little, the corners of her lips turning up; but it didn't change that to Katherine, that affirmation meant nothing. "Do you think that matters to her?" she argued.

Damon tucked her hand behind her ear. "No…but Katherine's 'wants' don't mean anything to me. I love you, so only your 'wants and needs' matter." His ice blue eyes widened devilishly with insinuation. "You know…" Damon drawled, his hand tracing a trail up her thigh. "I had this whole special night thing planned upstairs…I'd hate to waste it." He told her softly as he leaned in to kiss the side of her neck then her bare shoulder. He could hear her pulse racing; one of the things he loved about her being human is he could hear and smell how he was affecting her. He smirked, a pouting whine in his voice. "I even bought you roses."

Elena giggled nuzzling him back and wrapping her arms around him as her lifted her. In only a few seconds she was gently laid out on Damon's bed with him hovering on top of her. He gave her one last passionate kiss before reluctantly pulling away. "Two minutes." He vowed holding up two fingers. Elena pouted, watching as he rushed into the bathroom to turn on the tub. While the tub was refilling, Damon went around and quickly relit the candles. He thought using his speed would help but every time he buzzed around the candles would go out.

Once he was done, he sauntered back into his bedroom to see Elena who was laid out; one leg stretched out the other bent at the knee, her hair fanned out around her wearing the red lace bra and panty set he just loved. Her head lolled towards him, an impish look in her eyes. "Finally." She teased. Elena squeaked when Damon was suddenly across the room and crawling up her body slowly like a panther, slipping between her thighs, and kissing up her toned stomach.

"Is someone eager?" he teased back smugly, smirking into her skin.

"Not at all." She said breathlessly arching into him. He pulled her up into his arms, wrapping her legs around him as he, at a human pace, brought Elena into the bathroom setting her on the counter. She deftly undid the buttons on his shirt, and trailed her hands up his chest when his skin was exposed.

His lips didn't leave her skin, whether it was her lips, or her neck, her shoulders or her chest, as he undid the clasp on her bra and let it fall off her arms to the floor. Once Elena's hands pushed off his shirt, they made their descent to the buckle on his belt, enticingly tugging it open and off before undoing the zipper and button on his jeans.

With her legs wrapped around him, Damon lifted her slightly off the counter to remove the lace panties, then resting her back down so he could slip them off her tanned legs. His kisses followed the path of the lace, delighted at Elena's soft moans of content. He gathered her in his arms again, feeling her hot skin against him and guided her over to the tub.

Elena dropped to her feet looking up at him hotly as she pushed his jeans over his ass, her wandering hands caressing him. Damon moaned, capturing her lips with his, their tongues melding together. Elena pulled away to breathe and Damon didn't waste any time in getting them in the bath tub.

Once they were both in there, Elena moved herself so she was straddling him, her arms wrapped around his neck and her fingers woven in his wet hair. "Thank you." She expressed with a happy smile.

Damon returned it easily. "For what?" His hand splayed out on her back, holding her to him.

Elena rested her forehead on his. "For giving me this bit of normality, for taking my mind off of all the craziness going on out there. I needed that."

Damon smirked. "Well I'm here to serve…was there something else you wanted?"

Elena arched her brow. "I can think of a few things."