Author's note: I know it's a bit late to start my own story of how Season 3 of the Vampire Diaries should be like, but my curiosity and desire to write won despite my better judgement. Given the fact that I'm a huge Delena fan, my story will focus mainly on Elena and Damon scenes, but I'll also try to keep up with the action involving Stefan, Bonnie, Caroline and the other main characters of the TV show. This is my very first story so I'm both nervous and excited. I just hope that I live up to the readers' standards, so I'm going to do my best to regularly update my story and to entertain all of you that are interested. I hope you enjoy it! The first chapter is a bit too short for my taste, but the following chapters are definitely going to get longer, as the action intensifies.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries. My story centres around the characters of the TV show that belong to their rightful owners (TV script by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec) and of Vampire Diaries series written by L.J. Smith. I do not intend any infringement upon any music that might inspire chapter titles or parts of my story.

1. FROZEN

Elena felt like she was frozen. She couldn't move – not even an inch. Not even when something in the back of her mind was forcefully trying to win this internal battle and convince herself that her doppelganger's words had simply been a lie. She had known Katherine well enough by now – she knew what a monster she often was. Elena had realized that whatever her vampire copy did was to torment her, because she was still so blindly in love with Stefan.

Stefan… Elena internally cringed at the thought of her boyfriend's name. She quickly took her cell phone out of her pocket and desperately wrote a few words, sending her message to Stefan: Damon's fine. Where are you? And then she felt the hand which was holding the phone dropping lazily to the side of her body and she was suddenly in a trance-like state. The words that had left Katherine's mouth just seconds ago turned into agonizing echoes which were reverberating in her entire body, trying to take control of her.

'He's paying for this – he gave himself to Klaus.'

As breathing became harder and harder for her fragile human body, her chest involuntarily started going up and down in hard, loud movements. This couldn't be happening… She was sure it had been just another cheap trick that Katherine pulled so as to ruin their perfect moment. Their perfect moment …Oh my God – she had almost forgotten about Damon.

She turned her head a few inches to her left only to see a still-in-pain Damon forcefully trying to get out of bed, although he was obviously still hurting. Before Elena could say a word, she saw Damon gather all of his strength and finally pull up from the damp sheets underneath him. His entire body cringed at his feeble attempt of quickening the heeling process and a second later he found himself in Elena's arms after he shot to the ground in an abrupt fall.

'Elena… we need to find her – she knows where Stefan is…' Damon muttered under his breath, although he intended it to sound more urgent than it had just done.

'I wouldn't expect him home anytime soon…'

How could she look in Damon's blue eyes and tell him that she thought – no!- felt, that Katherine had, for once, told the truth? She felt Damon shift in her arms to reach out and turn her chin to his face. He pierced her chocolate-brown eyes and told her under his breath 'She's lying, Elena, that's what Katherine does. Stefan would know better than to give himself up like that…'

There it was – one word from Damon that could easily bring Elena's rapidly growing heartbeat a bit lower. What if Damon was right? Stefan wasn't a fool – he couldn't possibly agree with the things that Klaus did, let alone join the vampire in his pursuit to become the strongest being alive. And Stefan loved her enough so as not to leave her alone – not after everything they had been through and especially not like this. No, there had to be another reasonable explanation. But the words were hurtfully coming down in waves and destroying any hope of her waking up from this nightmare.

'He just sacrificed everything to save his brother, including you.'

Elena felt her heart literally crack into pieces at the realization that Stefan had actually sacrificed himself for his older brother – not to mention that he had so easily chosen to willingly leave her behind, to give up on her love after he had so many times called her the reason for his existence. Elena should have understood – it had been the right thing to do – she would have done the same thing for Jeremy. But who was she trying to fool? She felt deserted, empty. Images of all the people that she had lost started dancing in front of her eyes: her parents, Isobel, Jenna, John. She had almost lost Damon as well, and now Stefan had left her all alone. Elena felt she couldn't take it any longer – she was going to crash if someone didn't help her.

That's when Damon's voice got her out of her painful reverie: 'Hey, snap out of it… Elena, look at me! You don't really believe her, do you?' Damon asked with a more energy in his voice. The hopeless look that she gave him made the vampire freeze in his position as he realized as well that the little bitch had told nothing but the truth and that Stefan was really gone. Elena then stared at him with a lifeless expression and it was like he wasn't even there, like she was actually looking through him. His confused look turned into a worried one as he quickly shifted their position – Damon was now the one who was comforting Elena as she was lying motionless in his arms.

'It's a good thing you have Damon to keep you company.'

'He's gone, Damon…' her voice came out in a weak tone.

'Shhh…It's going to be okay, Elena, I promise you this…'

The feeling that was growing in Elena when she found herself in Damon's arms and being gently caressed by him made her want to cry both with happiness and sorrow. More than anything in the world, she felt safe when she was with Damon – it was as if she sensed that his commitment to her would never break, that he would protect her even if he had to go to the end of the world and back for her. More than safe, she felt loved as well.

Where's Stefan? she had asked Katherine.

Are you sure you care?

That was the last straw – Elena suddenly felt her tears rapidly flowing down her cheeks, unable to stop her uncontrolled sobs. As Damon's arms tightened even more around her body, she felt herself buried in all the regret and guilt that was pouring out of her. She regretted not being there for Damon, for he was surely not feeling that much better so as to put up with her hysterics right now – but, sure enough, he never said a peep, as if sensing that it would only aggravate things. He just stood there with his arms wrapped around her now-trembling body and waiting for her to let it all out.

But, more than anything else, Elena felt the guilt written all over her skin, deeply penetrating into her body. She hated herself for what she had done to Stefan - that is, kissing Damon earlier while her boyfriend was out there saving his older brother. She hated herself for not being able to stop Stefan from doing this, to reason with him. But most of all, Elena hated the feeling of warmth and comfort that she was sinking into while she was pressed that way to Damon's body – for it was the proof that Katherine's words actually held yet another cruel truth.

'Oh, it's okay to love them both – I did.'

With these words swirling in her head, Elena took one look at Damon's face and tried to tell him something, but simply couldn't find the strength in her to do so. Instead, as she saw Damon's worried eyes gazing into hers, Elena felt the last shred of power leaving her system as she fell into blissful unconsciousness.