E,B and C are on a trip to Europe àtheir plane crashed. E remembers Damon saved her. Kat shows up and seduces Damon.

Chapter 21: The Petrova Fire

And so did Damon.

What happened next was a blur.

When it was over, Damon had gripped Katherine by the neck while she squirmed so filthily underneath him on the dusty pavement that Elena's insides churned.

'Katherine, I am warning you get out of here before I kill you.'

Another blur and then, she was straddling him, Damon motionless underneath. Her grip on his neck looked painful.

'Damon, don't forget: I am older than you. I will always be stronger and smarter.' Then changing tack, she loosened the grip on his neck. As Elena watched her go from defensive to seductive in one breath, Katherine leaned closer to his face. 'My sweet... innocent... Damon,' she waited for him to close the space.

Damon pushed her off.

'I was never yours,' he stated calmly, even though Elena knew he was anything but. 'Just because I pined after you, doesn't make me yours; it makes me stupid that I thought you'd actually love me. You never would, would you Katherine? Always moving on; hopping from one guy's bed to the next.'

WHAT?

'Sorry - actually, never mind about the sorry- who the hell are you?' shouted Elena, before either of them could continue.

Her doppelgänger sauntered over to her. Deciding, she began to circle Elena like a lion assessing the prey. Elena held her breath preparing herself for a few good kicks. Few beads of sweat later, Katherine simply spoke:

'I'm the cute one.'

Elena waited. What was she playing at? Katherine decided to be a bit more clear.

'Hi Elena,' she adopted a shrill voice, mocking her, 'I am Katherine Pierce and you are one of my doppelgangers. Shadow selves.' Reverting back to her normal voice, she rolled her eyes as Elena's jaw dropped. 'Yes, there are more of us. You are the first I've heard of.'

She closed her mouth. 'Do you know someone named Katerina Petrova?'

Katherine's careless attitude dropped in an instant. She was immediately alert. Damon gave Elena a questioning look. Elena acted calm. Maybe her suspicions were right.

'The witches told you about Katerina, huh? Great. I was incharge of keeping her identity a secret,' Katherine walked until she was a few inches away from Elena's left hand, creeping her out. It was one thing when Damon did it but with Katherine - it was just weird. 'She is one of the doppelgängers, one of the first ones in the Petrova line actually. So you and me are doppelgangers, but in the way that you know it. The Petrova line is a genetic coincidence, not hereditary. Doppelgängers are usually offsprings but we might not be related in one family chain. My sister could have a kid who married another kid and had babies and you have an equal chance of being a Petrova doppelgänger.'

Elena asked, 'So you're not my great-great grandmother right?'

Katherine cringed. 'Oh god, no. I've walked this planet for 27 years. I met Damon over here a couple years ago.'

'Worst thing to happen ever.' Damon chipped in, regretful.

Katherine acted hurt. 'Ouch, Damon. I'll let that slide but one thing I'm not going to let slide? If you anyone other than you, me, Damon and a bunch of us girls knows about Katerina Petrova because you decided to inform them, I will find you and I will make sure you suffer. She is my friend and I wouldn't mess with her directly or indirectly. She has the Petrova fire, an anger and stubbornness capable of driving someone to insane lengths. Something that you have in large amounts. I am very loyal when I want to be, Elena Gilbert. Don't ever ask or talk about her again.'

Elena blinked. Threats that don't involve damage to a relative or a loved one never worked on Elena in the past. Killing her wasn't so bad as destroying everyone she loved. She wasn't going to tell Katherine that though.

'I don't care who you are and your, what seems to be a heart-breaking history with Damon, but you do not get to come here and threaten me, alright? I don't care that you're older and hence "more powerful",' she air quoted, 'but I have "the Petrova fire" as you call it. And right now, I have more of that than you. What I also have a lot of is pity for you, Katherine. It's sad that you break hearts and run from your lovers all the time,' Elena stopped there to calm her heart and failed, 'how long has it been since someone genuinely liked you?'

The look on Katherine's face was... blank. Elena wanted to cringe at how mean she was being, but watching Katherine, she didn't if she made any impression whatsoever. She had made an impression on Damon, however. His eyebrows were high up as they'd ever gone. He looked at her incredulously, clearly not expecting hurtful taunting remarks from her.

Katherine smirked.

'You have the Petrova fire indeed, Elena,' she split the syllables of her name in her mouth. 'I like it. I'll leave you to it then. But just before I go,' she grabbed a stick from the ground. As Aaron shrieked in pain, a stick now buried deeply in his leg, Elena gave a panicked 'No!', eyes filling with tears. As Aaron shrieked in pain, Katherine walked back to Elena and said, 'Don't talk about Katerina. And the rest of the people on your list will be safe. Don't listen to me, and the next one to go will be Jeremy. It was nice meeting you, Elena.'

Elena's insides evaporated. Her body, weightless; her brain, a dead weight. For the first time in a long time, Elena felt the restlessness of being without hope. I could pray against natural forces like water, fire, air and hurricanes. Drowning in the middle of the Atlantic? Sure. People hooked on revenge fantasies? That's an entirely different ballgame.

Katherine vamp-sped away, disappearing around a house. A hand grabbed her hand and began to massage soothingly. Aaron screamed.

'Hey, it's okay,' Damon whispered shushingly. Elena didn't know if that was to her or to Aaron but it worked on both. Aaron resumed a disbelieving expression on his face while Elena snapped out of it. There was a bleeding man lying at her knees. Pressing matters.

'Aaron I'm so sorry,' Elena yanked the stick out of his leg as it ripped out some flayed ends. He released fresh groans.

'Elena.'

Elena ripped a big piece out of the bottom half of her dress and tied it around Aaron's leg. He was bleeding a lot. Elena wondered if her dress was strong enough to not rip around Aaron's leg.

'Elena.'

The dress looked really ragged, then. Elena felt like a rocker. Maybe she should consider being a rockstar. She'd be good at it, what with her straight As and smarts.

'Elena.'

'Does it hurt?' she asked Aaron. Realizing quickly what she'd said: 'Sorry, stupid question.'

'Elena.'

She spun incredulously. 'What do you want Damon? Aaron is in pain and you're calling for me. Tell me what could possibly be more important than our friend in physical pain right in front of us?'

'Elena, calm down.' He said cautiously.

It was for nothing.

'Calm down? CALM DOWN? I just met a murderous psychopathic vampire who looks exactly like me, learned about her crazy best friend who happens to also look like me and there is a stick-shaped hole in Aaron's leg!'

Damon didn't fidget. 'Elena. I know.' he calmed her, looking into her eyes. Elena found stability in his wild blue eyes and it cleared her head a bit. Elena wondered if he was compelling her.

'Better?' he asked. Elena nodded.

'Okay so do you want to tell me what you know about Katerina Petrova? Who is she?' Damon inquired.

'She stole the moonstone. It's a source of witch power and really powerful and she stole it.' Elena almost told him about the chalice but that was a promise she made to Aaron and he was good.

'Guys, if you don't mind,' said Aaron, breaking into our conversation. 'I am still bleeding here and I don't think Elena is suffering the same kind of pain right now.'

'Sorry,' Elena replied. 'We should probably get him inside.'

Damon rejectedly said, 'Fine,' before placing an arm under his body and lifting him up with his vampire strength. Elena was going to offer for help but Damon seemed to carry Aaron like he weighed nothing. To Damon, he probably didn't.

Elena knocked on the door. Gloria's face appeared as the door swung open.

'Gloria, Aaron is bleeding- long story- but he needs help immediately.'

Gloria needed no further context. 'Well bring him in then!'

Elena dragged Aaron inside as he tried to support his weight on one foot. As she placed him on the sofa, she heard a voice.

'Elena you want to let me in?' Damon stood on the porch, as an invisible shield kept him out. Oh crap. They must have an anti-vampire spell around every house in this village. Elena instantly looked at Gloria, whose eyes were set on Damon's.

'What is one of your kind doing here?' projected Gloria, extending a hand towards Damon as he grabbed his head and dropped to the ground, eyes scrunched in pain.

'Gloria, STOP!'

She turned to look at Elena, not halting her ministrations. Damon was still yelling in pain. How was she doing that?

'He is a vampire, Elena. He will not hesitate to hurt you, it's in their instinct.'

'Gloria, listen to me,' said Elena trying to make her see reason. 'They are not all like that. They can control their urges; he's been with me for almost a week now and I know for a fact,' Elena looked at Damon clutching his head in pain, clearly unable to process words, 'that he is one of the good ones. Trust me, you don't have to worry about him. You can stop. Please.'

Gloria turned back to look at Damon. He was still twisting and turning with pain. She slowly lowered her hand and with it, subsided Damon's pain. As Elena smiled at her thankfully, Gloria said, 'Be it on your head. If he makes one false move, I'll kill him. Try and stop me, and I won't hesitate to deliver the same fate to you. Do you understand?'

Elena nodded vigorously. 'Yes. I promise.'

Gloria called out, 'You can come in now.' Suddenly, Damon stepped through the door as Elena stared at Gloria incredulously. That's it? No witchy magic, just 'you can come in'?

'Thanks,' said Damon, with gritted teeth. Elena heard the Damon-sarcasm in his words.

'Yeah, I'm only doing this for Elena. You heard me: one wrong move and you're dead. I'll get some herbs for that,' she said, pointing towards Aaron's wound. 'You two, try and get the stick out of his leg. And it goes without saying, but please be gentle.' She said the last part to Damon, before disappearing out the main door.

'Aaron, how is it now?'

After fifteen painful minutes, Elena found a part of the stick lodged inside Aaron's leg. It was hard enough to be careful and wary of Aaron's pain but with Damon, the situation was a lot worse than what it could have been. He scolded Aaron, which was followed by Elena scolding Damon and this continued for ten minutes. Finally, he remained quiet and let Elena do all the work.

'Still hurts. How long does it take to get some herbs?' asked Aaron.

At this, Elena looked at Damon warily. They both shared a look that said the same thing: what if she had outed them to the other witches? What if they were coming to execute them?

The door opened then and Elena and Damon breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Gloria return with a satchel. Gloria smiled at their reaction. 'I am not going to tell everybody what you are Damon. I value my friendship with Elena and Whitmore witches are loyal to people they love and trust.' She opened the satchel and pulled out the herbs. Tenderly, she observed the wound.

'There are still some bits inside, but they are harmless and your body will treat it like one. Did you wash the wound?'

'Yeah.' said Elena, remembering the painful trip to the bathroom.

'Well, nothing more we can do now. Move over,' she told Elena. 'This will feel good in the beginning but then it will really start to hurt. That's your body's way of telling you that you are getting healed, okay Aaron?'

'Great. Just get it over with.'

Half an hour later, Gloria finished applying the paste to Aaron's wound. He decided to sleep, probably hoping to distract him. Elena woke him up to tell he was done. He thanked her and went straight back to sleep.

Elena turned to Damon after making sure Aaron was asleep. 'Do you want to tell me what that was?'

Damon looked confused.

'You and Katherine?'

'I don't want to talk about it.' He said without skipping a beat.

As Elena did not seem to have given up, he said again, 'Seriously, it's nothing.'

Silence.

'Damon come on!'

He stared at the ground, his eyes hidden from her view. Elena hoped he'd open up to her. She wanted to help him get it out.

'I loved her, Elena. I can't.'

Elena simply pierced him with her stare.

'No Elena, you don't get it. This wasn't some hormone-addled crush I had in high school, I loved her.'

Elena's eyes opened, her heart started racing.

'You are getting nervous, I don't want to talk about it El-ena.' He said, saying her name in a way that no one had ever said before.

'Damon, I have to know about her. Please. Damon, she attacked Aaron and then sauntered away like it was nothing! She is a threat to me and if you care at all about that, you will tell me.'

'You don't want to know Elena, trust me.'

Elena's pent-up frustration dug an outlet.

'I am so fed up of people hiding information from me! This ends now. I have to know Damon,' she urged. 'Why are you so unwilling to tell me? Is it because you're scared of freaking me out? Because I was already way freaked out in the past and guess what? I'm still here. Whatever it is, I can handle it.'

Damon shook his head solemnly. 'Elena give up. Please. I can't share that with anyone, let alone you.'

'Why try to save me then? Why hang around when you know you could be outed by Gloria? You are far gone Damon. I am far gone. After everything that happened since we met on the plane, we are still here together. For the sake of our friendship, Damon. Tell me. Start with the easiest thing you are comfortable with sharing.'

Elena knew she had him. She could practically hear his brain whirring.

'Katherine Pierce,' he said simply. 'That's her full name. She met my brother Stefan and I two years ago. She started flirting with Stef but I knew I loved her first. I flirted with her but she never reciprocated my feelings, until I was completely taken with her. I followed her, obeyed her every command and Katherine, being Katherine used me for her personal gains. I did everything possible for her; killed, wounded, manipulated, blackmailed, kidnapped. She led me on, totally intentionally and screwed both my brother and me. She said Stefan was her only love but I didn't believe her. She was a closeted vampire and no one knew about her real identity other than Stefan and me. She compelled my brother to keep her secret; I did it willingly. On the last night, before she faked her death, she turned us into vampires. I-'

'Sorry, hold on,' interrupted Elena. 'She turned you into a vampire?'

'Yes. Why do you look so surprised?'

'I always thought vampires were the abominations of nature because the god of hell created your species or something.'

Damon laughed. 'No, we are all born humans. We get turned into what we are. And most often, it is not by choice. But I willingly drank her blood to become a vampire, only because I thought we would be together forever. That's what that manipulative bitch promised me anyways.'

'When did you find out she faked her death? And when did you find out that she... you know...always fancied your brother?'

'I kind of always knew she preferred Stefan to me. I just hoped that once she'd get to know me, that's change her mind.'

Elena felt a pang of sadness for Damon. It wasn't pity. It was more anger and frustration at how someone could take the innocent love of a young boy and completely corrupt him; ruin his life when he genuinely loved her.

Damon continued. 'Then one day, I saw orange flames in her room from outside when I snuck out to see her. I tried to save her but it was too much heat, Elena. I went in to find her but I couldn't. Now I know it was because she wasn't there. But at that time, I was devastated. I didn't bother getting out of there. I let myself be consumed by the fire because it was better to be dead than never see the love of your life again.'

Oh no. Damon, no.

'I was so pathetic back then. I was going through a rough patch. But it was always going to be Stefan with her,' he said, sadly. 'You saw her; you know how she looked at me.'

Elena nodded.

'Like an old lover, nothing else.'

'And the worst part is that I avoided women because I wanted Katherine to be the only woman to ever touch me in that way. I was that madly in love with her,' he said, quietly.

'You have to be a vampire to turn other humans right?'

'Right.'

Elena looked at Damon with a whole new pair of eyes. She knew a different facet to him that changed the way she looked at him. 'I hated her. But it's nothing compared to what you feel for her, isn't it?'

He simply nodded.

Just then Gloria reentered after washing up.

'What are you guys talking about?'

'The person responsible for that,' said Elena, pointing to Aaron's wound.

'Do you mind sharing who it was?'

'Damon...' she looked at him, silently asking him for permission to talk. He nodded subtly. 'Damon knew her for a while. Her name is Katherine Pierce.'

Whatever Elena expected from Gloria, she got it.

Gloria dropped her napkin. She froze in her spot, eyes flicking from Damon's to Elena's. Her cheeks a frightening shade of dark crimson, Gloria processed Elena's words.

Suddenly, she got up and roughly grabbed her by the shoulders. Her bony fingers pierced into Elena's flesh and she shrieked in pain.

'Elena, if you are lying to me child-'

'I am not! That's what she told me! I'm only telling you what I know,' said Elena, shaking her shoulders to get free. The grip was getting unbearably painful.

'If you really saw Katherine Pierce, I need to know everything. This is important Elena; this has been the most important thing to us since the earliest Whitmore witches had arrived.' Gloria leaned over Elena and whispered in her ear the words that would petrify Elena for a long time.

'She is the one who stole the moonstone Aaron told you about. That's not all; she stole a lot more from us witches. She was Aaron's best friend when they were kids and loves her so deeply, he betrayed us for her love.'

No. She said she was a doppelgänger. An ancestor. Katherine Pierce didn't-

'The woman you talked to was Katerina Petrova.'

Yeah well, Katherine is really good at acting. Even smart!Elena got fooled. It's KATHERINE WE GOTTA GIVE HER THAT

6x06: The first episode where I doubted Delena. Damon wanting Elena to be miserable just so they could be together? That is a whole other level of toxic. What do you guys think? Change my mind in the review box below, please.

I've been hella busy guys. Sorry if I miss a week or something.

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