Eva: Why would I do it half way where Elejah is concerned? And yes, thank you for the virtual hug, because that really was a difficult part to write. I thank you for sticking with me. And yes, that little flash that Elena saw will not be forgotten, and nor will she let him. And that won't be the last time that Elijah does that, as you well know! Thank you for the compliments and thumbs up!

J: Thank you for all of your comments. I do enjoy writing Elejah, and I'm glad that you guys get as much enjoyment out of the pairing as I do!

Guest: Thank you.

Ellie: Yeah…that part was a little difficult for me to even write. I hope I haven't chased you away!

Guest: Well, then here you go!

Guest: I hope I don't disappoint with this chapter then! As much as you don't want pauses, I don't want them either. If only I could write 24/7.

SwanQueen: Thank you.

Nina: Well, thank you for taking the time to drop a note!

Fawkes: First of all, if you want to remove it, then fine, it's called a 'favorite' list for a reason. Secondly, I write for pleasure and for myself. And while it's great that other people find enjoyment out of my stories, there's no way I'm going to be able to please each and every one of my readers. Sorry, but that's how it is. Thirdly, it may be a cliché, but so what? Plenty of other writers use various overused ideas in one way or another. I'm not the first and I certainly won't be the last. Also, what would be the point of the switching thing if no drama happened because of it? You say that Stefan and Damon would know the difference, of course they would! Julie Plec wouldn't hear of anything else.

Kaeler: She won't go unnoticed for very long. As for who discovers the truth, I won't reveal that, but the others start to question her actions.

RayRay: Yes, the truth will soon be revealed. Maybe not in this chapter, but questions do arise.

Guest: Well, thank you!

Neah: As for the cheating thing, it will be tricky to deal with. And I don't mean to villainize Elijah in the slightest, so it will be a touchy subject. Yes, there will be more Jeremy to come, but not so much in this chapter. Okay, well I hope you enjoy this then!

Guest: Thank you!

Lisa: Her great acting abilities won't hold up for very long, and the reason why will be explained in the next coming chapters.

Guest: Hope you enjoy it.

La Melodie: Thank you for the encouraging words and compliment! I feel that my skills have definitely developed since I started writing this pairing, but I always worry I'm essentially tooting my own horn. I'm glad you're enjoying this story, and I will do my best not to disappoint you.

Guest: Thank you!

AN: Wow, I was not expecting that kind of response. You all are amazing, and I'm glad I didn't turn you guys away. So, I really scrambled with reworking this next chapter. I did originally plan to have some time lapse, but I wasn't too happy with everything that it implied. And I promised that I wouldn't ruin the characters, so I made a few changes. So please bear with me while I tweak these next couple of chapters. Also, constructive criticism is welcome, but telling me that I suck because you don't like my idea does nothing more than piss me off! I welcome criticism, and I will seriously take your thoughts into consideration; however, if it comes off as sounding more like a tantrum because you don't like what I did, simply puts my back up. I put a lot of time in my work and into my words, and I love to hear back from you guys.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters familiar to the show.

Chapter21

"When you were growing up, did you know what you wanted to do with your life?" Elena asked as she and Elijah leisurely strolled through the woods.

"Things were different back then," he replied softly.

Peering up at her partner, Elena nodded. "I guess they would have been," she allowed quietly. It wasn't often that Elijah spoke about his human life, and unless he spoke of his family, he appeared to be almost deferential.

"Boys often went into the trades that their fathers worked in," he went on to explain. "And while life was slightly different in the new world, some things remained the same; that being one of them. If things hadn't worked out the way they had, I would have followed in Mikael's footsteps. He'd been grooming me to do just that."

"Is that what you wanted?"

He shook his head. "It didn't matter what I wanted." Growing up, he'd swiftly learned that lesson. "As the eldest, I had a responsibility to my family."

"Yes, but what about Tatia?" She countered. "You were ready to step away for all of it because of her, for her." If Klaus hadn't taken an interest in her, things could have played out much differently.

He'd spent a large portion of his vampire existence trying to forget about his human life and the things that had been lost along with it. Before he knew it, the little details of his everyday life were forgotten. Names may have whispered across his memory, but they rarely ever came with faces attached to them.

His companion swore up and down that he was betrothed to a woman but that he was in love with another. He remembered Tatia, but nothing else. He didn't doubt Elena's words, but he held no memory of anything other than Elena's lookalike. Since her revealing dream, he hadn't really had time to think on it.

"It's not entirely fair to mention that, seeing as I have no memory of it," he reminded her.

As they continued to walk, she moved closer to him and shoulder bumped him. "You know what I mean, so don't be difficult," she chastised with a roll of her eyes and a dramatic sigh. "If you weren't the eldest child, if you didn't have anyone else to consider, what would you have wanted?"

Glancing at the forest that surrounded them, he considered the fact that much of it was still unchanged since his human days. Other than the sound of their footsteps, the occasional sound of birds chirping, and the rustling of leaves; there was no sign that gave way to the modern world. He could close his eyes and picture the two of them existing in the world the way it was once intended to be, the world he'd once lived in.

"This." He looked back at her, smiling at the confusion behind her eyes. "Us. This is what I wanted." He paused to consider the way his words could fall to her ears. He had cared a great deal for Tatia once upon a time; and between their similarities and the location they found themselves in, he hoped she wouldn't take his words the wrong way. "You may find this difficult to believe, but I haven't always been a sentimental man."

"It never crossed my mind," she denied with a grin kissing her lips.

"What you and I have, it's what I've always wanted. I lost the dream along the way, or maybe I stopped believing in it," he shrugged. "But if I, my human self could have anything, it would be how I feel in this moment with you by my side." When Elena stopped walking, he followed suit. He was vaguely aware of the sky above their heads darkening as angry storm clouds rolled above them. "What? What is it?"

Closing her eyes, she attempted to fight back the tears that swam in her eyes. "How can you say that to me when you've loved another?"

Her words were whispered, but he'd heard her as clear as he would if she were to say them in his ear. "What? Elena, we've been through this. You are aware of my feelings."

She shook her head. "But you don't feel me."

He didn't feel her? "Elena, I feel for you plenty."

"No," she breathed. Stepping closer, she placed a hand over his heart. "You don't feel me. How do you not know?"

How did this go from a wonderful afternoon to a cryptic conversation? Minutes ago they'd been happy and content with one another, where had that gone? More importantly, why wasn't she making sense? "What are you talking about? Not know what?"

"No, you do know, but you refuse to believe it. Why?"

"I don't understand what you're trying to say," he sighed in frustration. "Why don't you just tell me?"

She arched an eyebrow at him in response. "Why should I tell you what you already know?"

Opening his eyes, Elijah groaned into the room. It was the third night in a row that he'd awakened from a dream a dream state. As the dreams progressed so had his confusion and frustration. He knew he should have mentioned them to Elena, but her reaction the night of his first dream kept him quiet. He couldn't say why, but he didn't feel comfortable in her presence.

In the days that followed since Elena's rescue, he kept expecting things to settle down. And while there were no hunters to deal with or insane pastors gunning for their deaths, they hadn't exactly been resolved. Elena still hadn't gone into any details about what had happened before he and Klaus had saved her, except to lay the blame at Katherine's feet. If there was one person he expected her to speak to, it would have been him; and yet no attempt had been made.

Instead, he'd sought out Caroline; sure that if it wasn't him she'd turn to, it would be her best friends. The young vampire had promised to tell him anything that Elena said, but no conversation had been had. Instead of turning to her friends like he'd anticipated, his mate had pulled away from them.

And it wasn't just Caroline and Bonnie she was shutting out, it was everyone. Under different circumstances, he would have been thrilled with the idea of her separation from Stefan and Damon. However, he found himself scrutinizing her decision to sever her ties with them when only days earlier she explained to him just how much the Salvatore brothers meant to her. Yet what really surprised him was the way she treated Jeremy upon his return home. Her actions and enthusiasm for the younger Gilbert sibling were more forced and decisive than he imagined they would have been after such a long separation.

But it wasn't just her actions with the closest people in her life that clutched at his interest. Her mannerisms had slightly changed as well. The alterations were subtle, and he'd doubt that most people would have paid any mind to them. Yet for someone who had spent so much time in her company, he was growing increasingly alarmed.

The night of their reunion he'd just been so thankful he'd been able to reclaim her from harm relatively unscathed, his emotions had been in full control. Perhaps he shouldn't have allowed things to escalate the way they had, and he should have insisted on soothing her frazzled nerves (as well as his own); but he hadn't. He knew that in the end, he was no worse than the majority of his sex by allowing hormones to do the thinking. It had been a blessing in disguise though. Because of their actions that night, his curiosity was piqued.

Sitting up, he grabbed the robe at the end of his bed and pulled it on before leaving his room. The house was quiet around him, and if it wasn't for the smell of coffee being brewed, he would have thought he was the only one awake. Making his way towards the kitchen, he expected to find Finn at the coffee pot. Finn, the only one of his siblings that was an early riser, was also growing increasingly addicted to coffee. However, when he spotted the form standing before him, he stopped.

"Good morning, mother," he greeted politely. "I didn't expect you to be up so early."

She offered him a tired smile. "In all honesty, I didn't expect to be up so early. I had trouble sleeping last night." She peered at her eldest child. "Are you well, Elijah? You seem…bothered."

As soon as the coffee was brewed, he grabbed two cups and began preparing them. He handed one to his mother, ignoring the pointed look she offered him when he fixed her coffee the way she liked it. Things between them were still slightly stilted, and while they continued to get better day by day, he found himself second guessing her motives. Yes, she'd confessed her original plan, but had she fully changed her mind? Unfortunately, it was a doubt that constantly plagued him.

When Elijah looked away from her, she felt her heart break even further. Of all of her children, he'd been the one that was most resistant. She'd hoped that after her confession that the chasm between them would have lessened, but it hadn't. "When or if you need to speak, I'm there," she offered quietly. When he nodded once in reply, she turned to leave him to his thoughts.

"If magic was performed on someone, how would I be able to tell?"

His inquiry was soft, but it garnered her attention all the same. Turning around, she made her way back towards him and claimed a seat opposite him. "You can't. Only witches can determine such a thing." And even then, the witch would have to possess a certain level of power. "What makes you ask such a thing?"

"Something just doesn't sit right with me, and I can't seem to shake it. It's Elena. She's…different than how she was before this mess happened. She looks like her, smells like her, feels like her, but her actions and mannerisms are slightly off."

She listened to his description and considered different scenarios that could have taken place. "What do you believe happened?"

Shaking his head, he sighed. "I don't know. All I know for certain is that Elena was with two people who wanted her dead and a witch. What if the witch cast a spell before she was killed?" He was beyond the point of believing that Elena's actions were based on whatever had occurred before he'd saved her. "And then the dreams…"

Esther frowned. "What dreams?" When he went to explain his dreams and the events that took place, she offered him her undivided attention.

"And I don't know how to interpret them," he finished off. When she opened her mouth to speak, he shook his head. "I mean I know how to interpret them, but how do I know that in the end, that they are nothing more than me trying to work through my guilt about that afternoon?"

"It is logical," she allowed before continuing, "However, if you are feeling guilt, then perhaps it is because you are trying to work through more than just that?"

He took a moment to consider her observation. "The more I think about this, the more I worry that something happened before I found her." He couldn't say exactly what, but with an unknown witch working for or with Katherine, it couldn't be good.

"And where has Elena been these past few days?" Esther asked, surprised that Elijah had been at the mansion alone. She expected that Elena would have been a near constant guest, but she hadn't been by. In fact, Elijah hadn't even left the house… "And when is the last time you went to see her?"

"Her brother has returned home after a long absence. The night after he arrived, I took my leave, wanting Elena to have time to recapture their relationship," he answered. And while that was partly the truth, the remaining reason behind his decision was because he hiding from her. "And her brother is already weary of me, I don't want to cause any further conflict between them."

"You could always go speak with Katherine," Esther whispered.

He let out a humorless chuckle. "The thought has crossed my mind, but I don't think I have the patience to deal with her right now. If there something truly wrong with Elena then I need answers now, and I don't think she'll be any help." Katherine didn't do anything for anyone out of the goodness of her heart. If she did something to help them, she would expect something in return.

"So…Elena won't tell you what's wrong, you don't trust Katherine to give you any help; but between the dreams and feelings you're experiencing, you know that something is wrong?" Did she have that right? "What do you plan to do about it?"

"I believe it is time to keep a closer eye on her." He thought back on his first few days in town and how easy it was to track and follow Elena from one location or another. Yes, there were times that she had seen him, but that was only because he'd allowed her to. If he needed to, he could remain invisible.

It had barely been a week since she'd traded bodies with Elena, and she was already done with Mystic Falls and over the entire situation! She hadn't taken into consideration just how much it would entail to emulate Elena's attitude day in and day out. She never caught a break, even in the Gilbert residence!

The drama never ended and she was able to see commonalities between Elena's life and that of daytime soap operas. She remembered how spiteful she'd felt with Elena the support system she had, but she never stopped to think about her day to day life or the complications that came with friends. Friends were such a rare occurrence in her life and she'd forgotten how much work they entailed.

Of all of her friends, the only person that hadn't irritated her was Bonnie, though that was only because she'd avoided the witch like the plague. She hadn't dared visit the hospital, afraid that the magic that hung around her would have been detected by her. And while it seemed suspicious at first, she played the guilt card and everyone believed her when she said that she couldn't approach Bonnie because it was her fault that she'd been injured in the first place. However, the excuse was growing stale and she knew that it wouldn't work for much longer.

Monday thru Friday were her favorite days of the week thus far. During those days, she had seven hours of time where she could avoid others without appearing obvious about it. She paid extra attention to the teachers in class so there was no way Caroline or Matt could talk to her, and she'd taken to avoiding the lunch room completely. Without having Caroline and Matt hounding her to talk to them, Stefan and his puppy dog eyes and Rebekah's indisputable hostility, she was almost at peace.

Alaric and Jeremy weren't so easy to dodge though and so when she was home, she spent much of her time holed up in her room. Of course there were times throughout the day when she was forced to socialize with them, but she always kept her words short and her interest pointed elsewhere. Her nerves were so shot, she didn't even care anymore.

And it wasn't as if she had anywhere to turn where she could just be herself and not worry about anything. Elijah had been her only source of comfort, and even he seemed distant. He'd invited her over the previous night to tell her that he'd been called away for business, and while she didn't fully believe him, she could hardly call him out on it. Their first night together had been amazing and she'd been looking forward to more shared moments, but she'd been less than pleased when on her third day as human, she started her monthly. While modern inventions made the experience easier to deal with, it was still a pain.

"Elena, hey! I'm so glad I caught you, there was something I wanted to speak to you about."

It took everything she possessed not to outwardly role her eyes. "Um, hey, Caroline."

"So, I thought that today after school, we could go and see Bonnie," Caroline mentioned as the pair walked towards their last class of the day when the minute bell sounded. "She was going home today, and I know that you hadn't gone to see her at the hospital." Other than the Originals, Elena was the only one involved with the situation who hadn't gone to visit her. Even Damon offered to put aside whatever differences he had with her to see how she was fairing.

Great, just what she needed to do; spend the afternoon with a witch. If no one else noticed a difference in her, then Bonnie would be able to. "Yeah…" Damn it! What could she say?

Sensing that there was a tone behind her friend's voice, Caroline grabbed her arm and pulled her to the side. "You don't still feel guilty for what happened to her, because you know that none of what happened was your fault, Elena."

Thank you Caroline! At least she had a chance to buy some time to find a semi-plausible answer. "Not my fault?! How is it not my fault? Katherine was working with Pastor Young, pulling his strings. If it wasn't for me, none of this ever would have happened."

"It happened because Katherine's a psycho and has nothing better to do than hang around in the shadows and mess with us." She wanted to say that Katherine messing with Elena's life was nothing more than a catty decision made by an angry and bitter person, but it didn't seem right. Truth was, she didn't know the first doppelganger or the reasons behind her actions.

She was tempted to reach out and choke the blonde. Closing her in effort to keep her reaction completely neutral, Katherine shook her head. "It doesn't change the fact that she was there because of me. If it wasn't for me, then Bonnie wouldn't have been stabbed in the first place."

"Elena…"

Why were these people so pushy? How did Elena deal with it? "Just leave it alone, Caroline!"

"She's already been asking about you. She would love to see you," Caroline murmured. She didn't need to tell Elena how upset Bonnie was that she hadn't been by to visit her in the hospital, because she would have felt the same way if their situations were reversed.

Katherine shook her head. "Then she's going to have to learn to live with disappointment. If I wanted to go visit her, then I would have gone by now." She thought back to the drama that had been unfolding within the group before making her move. "And after the way she was with Elijah, why should I rush over to see her?"

Caroline nearly balked at the question. Elena hadn't been one to so casually toss around such words. "It's not like that, Elena. You know that she apologized."

"Yeah, and then all this stuff happened," she argued. "Can you guarantee that she won't try anything?" She searched Caroline's face for any disagreement, but she knew there was none. Bonnie was far too stubborn to just turn a blind eye. "See, you can't. Excuse me if I'm not eager to see the one person itching to kill my boyfriend and his family."

"Elena, please."

"I've been saying this for weeks now; but lines are going to be drawn that separate the sides." As if that hadn't been done already… "And I'm choosing my side."

"Elena-"

"And if you were any sort of friend, you would respect that," she tossed out. "And right now, I need to surround myself with people who will be there to support me, and you just aren't one of those people." Not sparing the blonde another glance, she walked off.

Having witnessed the conversation and the escalating body language, Matt approached Caroline. "What was that about?"

Shaking her head, Caroline didn't pull her gaze away from Elena's retreating form. "I have no idea."

Pulling her into his embrace, he attempted to sooth her. "It'll be okay, Caroline."

"I don't think it will," she whispered. "Everything was supposed to start settling down." Bonnie and Elena had made up and they didn't have to deal with Pastor Young anymore. "I don't understand why she feels like that. I used to know everything about her, you know? What happened to our Elena?"

He wasn't thrilled with the changes that the brunette had gone through, but people often went through a period of change. They'd all thought that the secrets that tied them together would bind them together forever, but apparently that wasn't the case. "People just…change."

"Not like that they don't!"

"Bex, there was something I wanted to ask you."

Shifting her eyes away from the fashion magazine in her lap, she met Klaus' gaze to let him know that he had her attention.

"Have you noticed something different about Elena?"

As soon as the name was out of his mouth, she groaned and brought the magazine to her face as she threw her head back against the back of the couch. "Not you too!" Elijah had spent enough time focusing on Elena and her new attitude, now it had to spread to Klaus? What was wrong with her brothers? What was it about the Petrova line that ensnared them so? "Elijah has taken to the shadows and stalking her, and now this?!"

If he didn't hold genuine curiosity about the topic of their conversation, he would have been highly amused by her reaction. "Rebekah, seriously." Something about the doppelgangers had always rubbed his sister the wrong way, but her dislike for Elena went far deeper. He knew that it all fell on Stefan and whatever lingering feelings she had for him.

Hearing the slight judgment in his tone, she moved the magazine and met his gaze evenly. "Seriously," she parroted his word, "what do I care? And why the hell do you?" Where was her brother who was more concerned with the girl's blood rather than the girl herself?

He shrugged. "I don't really," Klaus shook his head. "But she's been…different." And it wasn't just Elena that was different, Elijah was as well. His brother who had always been so sure of himself, sure of his relationship with Elena was questioning everything about her. Elijah wouldn't do that if there wasn't something seriously wrong. And while he'd casually broached the subject, he tried to play off his insecurities.

"Yes, because the two of us know all about her and notice all the little things about her," she snorted. "I don't really know what happened when she was with Katherine and Pastor Young before you and Elijah found her, but maybe her weak human mind couldn't handle it?" Maybe she was simply suffering from a delayed reaction that led to insanity?

"But she seems to have bounded back from whatever it was," he replied, his tone more contemplating than anything. Granted, she hadn't been around since Elijah had 'left town to deal with business,' but she'd seemed fine before that. "What about school? How is she at school?"

"This may surprise you, Nick, but I have better things to do with my time than watch Elena Gilbert." She had noticed a distance between Elena and her friends, but she couldn't exactly blame the human. Caroline could be exhausting!

"All the same, I think I should talk to Bonnie."

Rebekah shook her head. "Yeah, because she's always so willing to help us."

If it were any other situation, he'd gladly agree with her assessment. "She will if it involves her friend."

Expelling a deep sigh, her gaze narrowed on him. "This is bothering you, isn't it?"

He nodded before dismissing the conversation completely. He just couldn't shake it. Something was off with Elena. Granted, she tended to stay as far from him as possible whenever possible; her efforts seemed to have doubled. And her eyes…he was positive that something had happened before her rescue. But again, he could only speculate because she hadn't said a word about it to anyone. "I can't help but think that something happened, but even then I can't be sure." His brows were drawn together in confusion. "She didn't even say anything to Elijah about it, since when is that normal?"

"Why don't you try speaking with Elijah about it then?" Rebekah asked, all traces of disdain were void in the tone of her voice. She was so sure that they were overreacting, but if Klaus was concerned…

"What the hell are you doing here?" Bonnie asked, her voice full of malice as she stared at the person at her front door. When the doorbell sounded, he was the last person she expected to see.

If she offended him, he didn't let it show. "There was something I wished to discuss with you." He'd expected her reception. "May I come in?"

Her mouth twisted up into a smirk. "Do you really think I'm dumb enough to issue you an invitation into my home, Klaus? What do you want?"

"It's about Elena," he nearly sang in a teasing tone. However, instead of inviting him inside, she stepped onto her porch, closing the door behind her.

"You have my attention," she admitted with a frown on her face, though she was almost tempted to simply shut the door in his face. She hadn't even seen Elena since the incident, and her friends hadn't even bothered to call and check on her. There was no 'how are you' or 'screw you,' there was simply silence; and that bothered her perhaps more than anything. "What's wrong with Elena?"

His brows drew together in confusion. "Surely you know that something is off about her…"

She met his arched eyebrow before returning the action. "Honestly, she's been off since Elijah reentered her life." She wouldn't back down from that idea, no matter how much anyone argued.

He smirked in response to her words. It seemed like Bonnie wasn't going to let that go. "Well, it's more now I'm afraid."

Shaking her head, Bonnie sighed. "I haven't even talked to Elena since everything went down. She hasn't come to see me and when I call her, they go unanswered. If something is wrong, I'd be the last one to know," she grudgingly admitted.

"But don't you see that in itself is wrong?" He asked then. "She was damn near depressed when she was at odds with you and Caroline and now she's avoiding you two?"

It did seem out of character for Elena, but based on what she'd told Caroline, Bonnie could sort of understand the distance. It wasn't as if she herself hadn't considered acting against Elijah's siblings for their actions…more than once. And though Stefan had talked her into not reacting to Kol's actions against Meredith Fell, the temptation was there all the same. "I guess," she hedged, seeing his point.

When he noticed the look she was giving him, he tilted his head. "What? You're staring at me…"

"I'm trying to guess your motive behind this," she admitted freely.

"What makes you think I have one?"

"Your concern for Elena's wellbeing is disconcerting," Bonnie shrugged.

He narrowed his eyes as he stared at her. "It's not for Elena I'm doing this. Believe it or not, I'm worried for my brother." If something happened to his family because of Elena, or worse, Katherine…

"And speaking of Elijah, why isn't he here speaking to me?" If he was so concerned about Elena, then why was it Klaus standing on her porch?

"He is out of town on business," Klaus shrugged. Growing tired with her questions, he held out a piece of paper. "I need you to get these."

"Excuse me?" She scoffed. He was giving her a shopping list. Looking at the list of items, she frowned before looking back at him. "And I'm getting these why?"

"I believe, though I hope not, that we'll be needing your expertise."

Ingredients for a spell? "Klaus, just what the hell is going on?" She waved the list in his face. "This is serious."

He shook his head and sighed. "I'm aware of that." It was obvious that she was weary of his intentions, a very smart decision. Once this situation was taken care of, they'd go back to their respective sides. "Look, I'm not exactly sure what's going on. I have my thoughts, but until I know for certain..." Whatever the deal with Elena, he couldn't afford for her to find out he was suspicious. "As soon as I do, you'll be one of the first people I call. If you could just procure the items, and speak to your mother. Her help may be useful as well."

She'd lost count of the days that passed. Once the fallen bodies were removed from the area, there was no need for anyone to enter…and they hadn't. There was no artificial light, no sunlight, nothing. Days could have rolled into months and she wouldn't have known. She'd never considered just how much time truly passed in a week so she had nothing to compare her entrapment to.

The day that Klaus arrived to retrieve the dead bodies, she'd tried once again to convince him that she was in fact Elena. However, since she and Klaus knew next to nothing about one another, the things that she'd told him were generalized tidbits that Katherine herself could have known by watching them.

It was then and only then that she realized just how screwed she really was. Katherine hadn't just switched their bodies from one place to another, it was like their souls had switched bodies. The little traits that distinguished her from Katherine and Tatia didn't apply, because from the body she was in, she could smell the scent that Elijah had once likened it to.

In the beginning, she marveled at the wondrous differences from inhabiting a human body to that of a vampire. Her eyesight and hearing was much more advanced. She was able to compare the differences of the fabrics that touched her body from what she knew as human to what she wore while in Katherine's body.

However, the marvel swiftly faded. Desperation settled in and she spent her time lost in thought and memories and trying her damnedest to reach Elijah and Bonnie with her mind. She had known that even attempting such a thing was a long shot, but since she'd had nothing but time on her hands… With Bonnie's innate magic and her bond with Elijah; then again, their bond wasn't nearly as strong as she thought it was.

She didn't know with certainty how much time had passed before the resentment had started to fester within her. After hearing Klaus talk of Elijah and her, Katherine, fucking like bunnies her heart broke just a little bit. The vision that she'd had the night she awoke in her prison had, thankfully, been the only time she'd suffered such an event. After that, she didn't touch her neck, not desiring a repeat. It could have been nothing more than a trick of her imagination, because how could she have possibly seen such a thing when she touched her neck? Not just her neck, but Katherine's neck. Elijah had marked her body, not Katherine's. But whatever it was, she wasn't interested in seeing it again.

Kol, Finn, Rebekah and Klaus she could excuse for not knowing the difference between her and Katherine masquerading as her. She hadn't spent enough time with either Finn or Kol for them to be able to determine anything. She and Rebekah certainly hadn't been friends so she understood that the blonde wouldn't see anything different. And Klaus…he'd been the only one to see her and she had nothing to show. It really brought understanding to the saying 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer.' If only she'd been more receptive to him when he was eager to get to know her better, when he vowed to protect her for her blood…

To an extent, she even understood Stefan and Damon not realizing anything. Her actions with Elijah, their mating bond, served to sever any former romantic and/or close ties she had before that. She'd hurt both of them more than words could fix and they'd already started pulling away from her when Katherine and Pastor Young kidnapped her. If Katherine was keeping her distance from them, she highly doubted that either of them would seek her out. The two people that knew her better than almost everyone else were so far from her, she already appeared to be a stranger from them.

The ones she couldn't dismiss so easily were Elijah, Caroline, Bonnie, Matt and Alaric.

How Katherine managed to fool Alaric so completely, she had no idea. Seeing as they lived together, he should have known her mannerisms better than most. Yes, he was mourning because of Meredith's death, but he still had eyes! They'd been well on their way to repairing the distance and damage in their relationship, so under that line of thinking, any differences in behavior should have been noticed.

Matt, whom she tried to spare from the nightmare that was her life, was once her closest companion. Growing up, they'd always been friendly towards one another. Their bond had only grown as their relationship matured. He'd been her first everything and had been such an integral part of her life. On one hand, she knew she was being too harsh where he was concerned. It had been such a long time since she'd allowed him to truly know her as he once had, relationship aspect aside. On the other hand, she couldn't help but begrudge him for not knowing the difference, not after everything they once shared.

Bonnie and Caroline, they'd been more than friends, they'd become more like sisters. Enough said. Going into high school, they'd known that their friendship would be tested. That was the reason why they did so much together. When one person jumped into an activity, the other two joined. However, with high school, unthinkable situations arose. Yet they'd been able to grow and learn from every mistake made, every decision that came with a price. Bonnie, whose craft was so deeply embedded in her blood, was able to look past her natural hatred of vampires to embrace Caroline for who she was, had always been and who she was becoming. When she was changed at Katherine's hand, it was too soon, but it also served to be life lesson of sorts. Beautiful, vapid, selfish Caroline Forbes had become a better person because of the tragedy that had befallen her. She struggled to become something more than a monster, and her actions paid off. Unless it was Damon Salvatore, she tended not to hold grudges. And when Bonnie struggled to come to terms with what her best friend changed into, Caroline waited patiently, not holding anything over her head for it. The three had all gone through their own trials and tribulations, but they'd survived…together. It wasn't always easy, and there was plenty of drama, but they'd always stuck together. And while she knew they weren't at their closest when everything went down, she resented them for not knowing the difference between her and Katherine. Bonnie had always known the difference between the two of them whenever Katherine masqueraded as her! Even if they were eons apart, spending years side by side should have led them to notice a difference!

Yet with all the disappointment she felt in her so called friends, it paled in comparison to the plethora of emotions she felt where Elijah was concerned. Elijah, her supposed mate; which she began to even doubted the concept of, was none the wiser to the change that had been made. Because she knew that if he realized who it was that was walking around Mystic Falls and living her life, he would have already fixed the situation. She thought that they'd grown so close since he'd been un-daggered. But apparently, she was wrong. The one man who should have known better, didn't.

Mates? Ha! She'd grown a very recent but very real hatred for the word. Mate, it meant nothing. If it had, then he would have known something was wrong! With one touch of her neck she'd gotten a flash of him in an intimate moment, and again, it could have been nothing more than her imagination; but something in her gut told her it was more than that. And if that had been the case, then how was it possible when she, a human, experienced such a thing while he, a vampire, didn't realize the difference between her and Katherine!?

Claiming, ugh, as far as she was concerned, it was just a glorified term for ownership. Sarah and Arthur told her that Elijah had essentially warned all other male vampires away from her, there was nothing said about human males. And at that moment, she wanted nothing more in that moment than to find a human and inflict the same sense of betrayal, outrage and agony as she had felt since thinking of Elijah having sex with Katherine. It was juvenile of her to think such a thing, and she knew that the action wouldn't solve anything, except create more issues later on; but she couldn't get over it. Yes, Elijah may have thought that Katherine was her, and that it was her he was making love to, but it wasn't.

Her days were long, but the nights were even longer. When she would slip into the dream world, dreams of Elijah would taunt her. Sometimes they met in black abyss of nothingness and other times… She could almost swear that he was actually by her side. It was enough to drive her insane and tease her mercilessly.

AN2: Since tomorrow is a holiday, I don't know if I'd have a chance to post this, so I'll just post it early. On a lighter note, Happy Turkey day to my fellow Americans! And a big thank you to Eva for letting me bounce this chapter off her! Much love!