E, C and B's plane crashed. D&E are stranded on an island; E escapes to get to J, meets A&G. D&E reunite, bond, meet K. D&E confess feelings, kiss. Shocking backstories are revealed, D&E talk about them when a person interrupts them.


Chapter 29: Doppelbonding

Elena stared at her doppelganger in shock. Why the hell is she here when the whole town is looking for her? Smart?

'Katherine. Very brave of you to come here.' Damon spoke, eyes cold. Elena heard what he was hiding and the brevity surprised her.

'I wanted to say goodbye.'

'Leaving so soon?'

She narrowed her eyes at him. 'I know where I am not wanted. Sorry to break up your cozy moment, but we need to talk.'

Elena glared at her. How dare she walk into their lives like they were her toys? Atleast we've got her.

'I want nothing to do with you, Katherine.'

Katherine sat down next to the couple in bed. 'Aww now don't say that! We've a lot to catch up on.'

'Like what?'

'Like your alliance with the witches. And how that can help me escape.' She declared as though expecting them to go 'sure Katherine! We'll help you'.

Damon chortled. 'Escape? Sorry, like escape? The entire town is on Katherine high-alert!'

'You think I don't know that? I need to get out of here as soon as possible. I never wanted to come here in the first place. Memories, nostalgia, etc.'

'I'm better at the enigmatic one-liners, Katherine. What are you upto?'

'Believe me Damon, when I'm upto something, you'll know it,' she said. Didn't work that way the last time.

'I am here to propose a plan. A plan that could get us out of here safely and kill the Originals.'

'Well doesn't that sound promising,' Damon replied, sarcastically.

Katherine smiled. 'I want her.'

Elena stared dumbfounded back at her. She pinned her gaze on the girl within Damon's arms, demanding her submission by sheer will.

'Sorry, but I'm pretty sure she likes men,' he said, cracking Elena up. 'Specifically me.'

Katherine glared at him. 'Very funny Damon. But think about it: I can take Elena, I'll hand her to the Originals, they take whatever they want. After they're done, you get her back and everyone goes home, victorious.'

Noticing the expressions on our faces, she backtracked. 'I know for a fact that they don't want to kill her. They just want her blood. So you can stop looking at me like that.'

'That doesn't make much sense. I know they're pissed at you so shouldn't they be happy with your blood? Why use mine?'

'Because I'm a vampire and I am very discreet. Plus my blood won't work. They want a human doppelgänger blood. You're the only one around, unless you've got a twin or a triplet or ... you know.' She leaned forward slightly, almost like a lion marking his territory. 'First I need your word that we can work together.'

Damon sat up in the bed, his hands still secure around Elena. 'So to recap: you played me, you screwed with my brother and god knows how many others. Then you left me after I turned. Now, two extremely powerful supernatural groups that you pissed off want you dead and you ask me to risk the only girl I ever truly loved to save your sorry ass? No, thank you. I think I'll pass.'

Elena's heart kicked into overdrive. He just admitted he loved her. For the first time out loud.

Katherine closed her eyes. 'What do you want me to do? Apologize? Sorry I broke your heart Damon. Sorry I pulled the trigger to turn you into the vampire. Sorry-'

'You pulled the trigger? You shot me? Dead? You were the shadow I saw in the forest? Oh my god.' Elena gave a non-verbal i-am-so-sorry look to him.

'Girl needs to do what she does to survive.' Katherine smiled sinisterly. 'People who love me never end up in a good place, Damon. Because I don't do love. Not ever.'

'I agree with your premise. I'm sure as hell in a good place right now. I'm in bed, at peace with someone I love. You're not. Oh wait, because you don't do love,' Damon leaned forward. Elena felt his chest hair tickle her ears. 'Well glad you cleared that up. Have a nice life, Katherine. Now get out before I take you to Klaus. I'm sure he'd love to catch up.'

Katherine's eyebrow raised impeccably. Then her face solidified into what Elena could most accurately describe as the hate face. Damon didn't move. Elena couldn't help but be proud of him. Way to sass the bitch, Damon. You go passive-aggressively tell her about how much she failed at life. Two hands closed around Elena's neck, yanking her out of Damon's embrace.

'ELENA!' was the last thing she heard before Katherine knocked her unconscious.


Warm humid air filled her nostrils. Wet forest floor covered with rough branches.

'Elena, wake up.'

A hand slapping her cheeks. Katherine kneeling, looking at her like she was gum stuck under her five-hundred-dollar boots.

'Katherine? Why-where am I?' Elena asked groggily. She shot up suddenly. 'Where is Damon?'

'Oh, he's fine. He's probably looking for you.'

Elena looked at her in disgust. How could someone who looked exactly like me be completely different? It was like personifying the worst part of me and forcing me to come to terms with the fact that such evil could exist.

'How long are you going to keep me captive?'

'Until I can bargain my freedom,' she said, twirling a strand of hair around her finger and standing up. 'which is… tonight! I can barely wait.'

Elena tried to figure out the best way to get out. She wondered if being nice could work. 'Just let me go, Katherine. Once Damon finds you, and he will, you won't be able to escape because knowing him, he's always prepared.'

As soon as the words left Elena's lips, she knew it was a horrendous mistake. She couldn't breathe.

'Sorry, was that- did I hear about a threat?' Elena gulped and choked around Katherine's vice around her neck, 'you know better than to challenge me, Elena. You know I can kill you, your boyfriend and an entire town and do my nails at the same time.'

She is enjoying herself.

Out of nowhere, Katherine let go.

'But unfortunately, I can't kill you. Klaus wants you more than me.'

Klaus? 'Who?'

Katherine looked at her incredulously. 'Klaus Mikaelson? Original hybrid? Didn't Damon tell you anything?'

'Well he was in the process of, before you decided to pop by as the friendly neighbourhood kidnapper.'

'Don't get your sass out on me, Elena Gilbert,' she sneered. 'Klaus and the other Originals have been on the outs for many years. But the one thing that they agree collectively to do is to get the chalice. Tell me you know what the chalice is?'

'Yes,' Elena said. 'I even know about the moonstone. You're not the only one Aaron made the mistake of trusting.'

Even Katherine got pissed at that. She bared her fangs reflexively. Elena didn't even blink. If she could stand upto Damon, she could stand upto anyone.

'Watch your tongue doppelbitch. Not another word about Aaron. I don't mind killing you, you know. You're just the easier way of getting my freedom. I have other ways if you prove to be too annoying. So press delete on any sense of security you may have. Or you're going to have nothing to reboot once I'm done with you.'

Elena's heart skipped a beat. She pictured it.

'Back to the important bit, the Originals want the chalice and the doppelganger blood; the blood is what will make them truly immortal. Nothing can kill them once they get your blood and add it to their witchy potion. The chalice however-' she smiled wickedly. 'That's where things get interesting. The witches want to destroy the chalice. They believe that such power shouldn't exist. If they get to it first, they're going to destroy it and not think twice. If the Originals get it from me first, then they might forgive my past misdeeds and I can finally start fresh. The doppelganger blood is just plan B.'

Elena mulled it over in her head, trying to find loopholes where the end results in her surviving. 'So the witches and Originals both want the doppelganger blood but when it comes to the chalice, they want different things.'

'Good job, Elena. Ten out of ten. I'm starting to think you might actually be my doppelgänger.' Katherine mused sarcastically.

'Yeah about that,' Elena trailed off. She couldn't believe she was still unafraid on the inside. 'How do we look exactly alike?'

'There are believed to be seven people in the world who look exactly like us, you and me excluded, of course. Craziest part is, these seven people might not be genetically related at all. However we are the exception; the Petrova doppelgängers. I know, and believe me, we are the last two alive. As far as I've caught wind, three of them died, one by accident, one by a car and the other murdered; the last two were twins and they died due to overdosage of drugs. Heroin and painkillers. Pretty tragic. So that leaves the Originals to deal with you and me. Now, I'm going to be honest with you here. I don't know if my blood is really incompatible with the ritual or not. Abominations of nature or not, vampires still exist in the nature and have their own place in the food pyramid. The sacrifice ritual needs a... to put it into the easiest words, a "non-evil" soul and well I'm... I swing either way on a good day,' she confessed, winking.

'Well you got that right,' Elena smiled...friendly. I guess I like it when people turn the spotlight on their actions. Katherine clearly wasn't expecting that. She smiled back before stopping herself quickly and resuming her cold look.

'Okay,' she sarcastically twitted. 'We're not doppelbonding. Let's get to the border before the ship arrives. And, don't give me that look,' pointing at Elena accusatorily. 'You're awake now, so get your ass up before I have to drag you through the forest.'

Elena let out a loud groan.

'Don't think I won't.'


Here's my new years' gift to you guys.

If you have ever reviewed this story (valid if you reviewed anytime before I post the last chapter), I will be emailing the FIRST DRAFT of Flightmate to you! It's great because it has all my story planning and helpful URLs at the end as well as TWO BONUS SCENES that I cut out because they slowed the plot down. Leave me a private message with your email and I'll send it to you in February. Yes, we have a handful of chapters left before we bid goodbye to Flightmate.

SO TA-DAA! Hope you have fun laughing at the first draft.

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