N: I know it took me a while. As I said, school's back and does not give me much free time to write. In my defence, this chapter's longer than the previous ones. Enjoy!

As always, thank you Dez2sweet for checking this so fast!

Invisible scars

Alaric poured himself another drink and walked out of the small, white kitchen. He picked up the mail on his way towards the living room and started going through it. Some bills and two fliers from the new opened Vietnamese restaurant two streets away and the usual fast-food in the corner of Brown Street. There was another white envelope that looked kind of strange. His name and address were hand written in the left corner.

He opened the envelope, carefully, like he was afraid that something might jump out of it once opened. To his surprise, he found jewelry inside – that he soon recognized as being the ones Elena had been wearing the day of the plane crash. They were all hers…but it didn't make sense. The morgue had given him another envelope with her things. Alaric just couldn't bring himself to open it until now. The only thing he took the time to put in the safe was her mother's necklace. He knew just how much Elena loved that necklace, she never took it off. That's how he identified her body; she'd been holding the necklace tightly in her hand.

After drinking his bourbon in one gulp, he placed the empty glass in the table and walked to his desk. He unlocked the first drawer and pulled out the other envelope. He opened it and let all the objects inside fall on a white paper on his desk.

Those were definitely not Elena's. There was a pair of beautiful and expensive wedding rings, a thick necklace with two tear-drop shaped diamonds, a pair of golden earrings that had small round sapphires on them and two more rings that matched the earrings. On other words, they were worth way more than Elena's.

Taking a seat in the big, leather chair behind the desk, Alaric's journalistic mind started working, but it only left him with a million and one unanswered questions. Who found Elena's jewellery and why would they send it to him? Why now? How did they know where to send them, since they weren't related? The envelope clearly didn't come from the morgue…so where did it come from?

He picked up the envelope and inspected. The Red Cross Memorial Hospital's insigne was on it. So that's where it came from. Alaric thought. But who will take the time to do this?

***lucky 13***

"Why can't I come with you?" Rebekah asked pouting. She was watching Elijah in the corner of her eyes. He looked very relaxed driving, in a way that other people didn't.

"I told you why. It's a business trip and Damon's counting on me, I won't have time to entertain spoiled brats such as yourself.

Rebekah smirked softly in the corner of her mouth and opened another three buttons of her shirt, getting her full breasts exposed. She wasn't wearing a bra and her nipples were pushing against the thin material since it was pretty cold in the car.

She was beautiful and her body's natural curves were generous making her sure that she could get any guy she wanted. But she didn't wanted just any guy…she wants Elijah. He wasn't like those stupid boys she was always toting with. He was classy and smart. He was always clean and smelled nice.

"I'm not a little girl anymore Elijah," she said looking at him.

"Then why are you acting like one?" he fired.

"Are you gay or something?" she shouted all of a sudden and Elijah let out a loud laugh.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, you're always dressed by the book, your hair is never a mess and here I am, half naked, right beside you and you act like I'm not even here."

"Have you ever wondered if maybe I want to work for it? Guys like to chase, they might like it easy, but they get bored pretty quick. A girl that opens her thighs as soon as she sees a stiff dick coming towards her is not worth the time."

"How about a blow-job?" she asked in a whisper, ignoring his last words. She brushed her hair behind her ear and tried to open his fly. "Oh! You're hard," she said happily.

Elijah pushed her away immediately, zipping his pants back. It's not like he was blind for Christ's sake, but he could not, under any circumstances, touch Rebekah. She was just a kid, first of all and second, she was his best friend's niece. Stefan, Damon and Giuseppe would probably shot him dead if he touched her.

"You want me," she said licking her lips and letting out a purr, like a cat in heat.

"You are a beautiful child…"

"Who are you fucking then? A man can't possibly stay like this for days."

"Not your concern," he said simply.

"I bet it's that tall red-head from the research department. She's divorced, right? What's her name? Rose. Is it her? She's pretty, but I bet I can do you better than her."

"You'd better do your job better or I might have to let you go."

"You can't fire me, I don't work there, and I'm a volunteer. Plus, I would tell Uncle Damon and he'll get me back on."

"Are you sure he will? What if I tell him what you've been up to?"

"You wouldn't. Damon would kill you for not telling him sooner. You know how possessive he is since his wife screwed him over."

"Where did you hear such things?"

"I hear stuff you know, sometimes I do pay attention."

Everybody was going crazy with the elections. It was like his Uncle was running for president, not senator. They've been super stressed about the preliminary, which of course Damon won. She could've told them that long ago. Her Uncle's smile could make women wet their pants. Young, old, uptight, easy going…no woman with eyes could resist him. Of course they would vote for him. She knew he would win, but no one asked her, no one ever asked her.

"I suggest you button that shirt before you give your grandfather a heart attack," Elijah said getting out of the car.

Rebekah buttoned her shirt all the way and put on her jacket before getting out of the car and following him inside the house. She walked towards her father after giving her mother a disgusted look.

"I'm going away to Mache for three days, I need money," she said sweetly.

"You can't go," Stefan said.

"Why the hell not?"

"Because you have to be here tomorrow, your aunt Katherine's coming home."

"Fuck that! Just what I needed…"

***lucky 13***

Elena was so nervous that her hands shaking were making her whole body sway back and forward on the small chair in front of the mirror. She had her extensions put in today and the doctor told her a few days ago she could start using make-up again. She noticed from the pictures that Katherine was the one for the dramatics, but Elena liked it to keep it simple: soft smokey eyes, some blush, mascara and gloss.

When Damon walked into the room, she turned around. She was expecting him to stare and take everything in, but the way he was looking at her made Elena blush like crazy. His blue lasers were scanning every little inch of her skin and Elena bit her lip nervously. What he seeing her in street clothes will make him realize she wasn't Katherine?

"So…?" she whispered unsure. The suspense was killing her slowly.

"You look…" Damon started, but he just couldn't bring himself to tell the words. She looked fucking perfect and in a way…innocent. As it is it was taking a lot out of him to keep away from her, but now…he felt like punishing her for looking this good and making him want her again. "…there are no scars…not even one, it's amazing."

"I…uh…thank you, I guess," Elena mumbled.

"You look beautiful Katherine."

"Thank you," she murmured. "Did you get used to it?"

"It's growing on me. I like the…hair. You look younger…prettier…"

"Prettier? In what sense?"

"I don't know, maybe is the new makeup or the hair; it's straight." Damon always loved long hair for a woman and Katherine's long, chocolate curls had been driving him crazy, but now that he saw her with straight hair, she looked even more beautiful.

"I brought you the things you asked my mom to buy for you: the creams, perfumes and all those."

"Thank you, I'll look at them later," she said, but Damon ignored her and started pulling out items as he was reading them from her list.

"Nightgown with long sleeves? Since when are you wearing something so…covering?" he asked sceptical.

"Since I went through a plane crash and got burned all over my arms," she snapped. If only he would stop treating her like Katherine Salvatore for a second…but to him she was Katherine. To him, to her friends and family. Still, she couldn't help it, she had to fight back from time to time.

"Of course, sorry,' he said softly and she smiled to let him know she's sorry too for snapping like that. "Bra 34-B."

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"About what?"

"Going down a full size," she said softly.

"Why would I care about that?"

"I was just…never mind." Elena noticed that Katherine had fuller curves. Of course, she blamed it on her liquid diet, but still, she preferred pants instead of skirts just to make sure no one would see the difference between her body and Katherine's.

She was afraid the mystery man that came to visit her that day must've suspected something. Either that or he really thought she was Katherine and that everything was going according to the plan. Because since that day, he never came back.

"Damon, what about the press conference in the morning?" she asked to change the subject.

"Yes, about that. Elijah gave me this to give to you," he said handing her a piece of paper. Elena read it over, obviously getting more and more pissed as she read through.

"Are you kidding? I can't say this!" she shouted and Damon let out a deep sigh.

"I told Elijah this would happen," he said.

"People would think I just got out of a mental institution if I say this. Really, Damon?"

"Fine, do it your way, just remember that this is important any mistakes you make will affect me and the campaign."

"I know how to speak in English Damon," she said in a softer tone.

"Of course you do…remember Austin? I can't have another incident like that happening now."

"I understand, Damon, I will be on my best behavior, I promise. I'll even memorize the pathetic little speech if that's what you want."

"Don't go out of your way to please me Katherine. If it were up to me, you wouldn't even speak, but Elijah and dad think it's for the best."

"How's Anna?"

"The same."

"Oh…did you tell her I'm coming home?"

"Yes, she had no reaction."

Elena's heart ached in her chest. If she as a grownup had been thorn by the accident, she could only imagine Anna's reaction to it.

"Here, I had a new set of wedding rings made for you. They're not as fancy as the old ones, but they'll do," he said pulling a jewelry box out of his jeans pocket.

"I like them better," Elena said as Damon was pushing the ring on her finger. Her tummy was trembling with nerves from the gesture. She told Damon that the envelope was a mix and she gave it to the nurse to find the owner. He asked about hers, but she told him that they didn't know. It was pretty common for that to happen after such a big accident. He stopped asking questions shortly after.

"Where's yours?" she asked. Damon stuck his hand back in his pocket and pulled out his own ring. Elena took it from his hand before he had the chance to put it on and she took a deep breath before sliding the ring on his fingers just like he did with hers. She lowered her head and placed a soft kiss on his finger and Damon mumbled a 'don't' softly.

"Please…just let me thank you…please…" she whispered. "You don't understand, I owe you my life. When I woke up after the accident, I wanted to die so many times, but then I would hear your voice and it kept me going. You've been my whole universe…" she said softly, getting on her tiptoes.

Damon pulled her head back making her moan in protest. His eyes fell on her face, focusing on her lips and Elena's tongue slipped out of her mouth to caress her bottom lip. "Just kiss me, Damon…please," she pleaded.

He took a step closer and softly – barely – brushed his lips over the outline of her mouth. His arm curled around her waist to pull her closer and the tip of his tongue started playing over her bottom lip, where her own had been just a moment ago. When she moaned against his mouth, Damon pulled back and his pricing blue eyes locked with her golden-brown ones. The burning desire got him lost… "Fuck this…" he mumbled before crushing her lips with his.

Elena returned his kiss as willing and passionate as him. After months of starvation, she could finally taste him and it was divine. She felt every twirl of his tongue deep inside her being.

Placing his hands on her hips, he pushed his hips forward, brushing her against his erection and they both growled in approval and hunger for more. She raised her hand and wrapped them around his neck, pulling his head lower. She wanted him closer…closer, she wanted him inside of her, over her; she wanted him in ways she never thought possible.

She buried her fingers in his hair and pulled slightly. He stopped and shoved her away. The expression on his face made Elena take another step back. He looked mad, his eyes were sparkling, he was obviously angry because of what just happen, but she didn't force him into anything. He kissed her out of his own will and he clearly wanted her if the bulge in his pants was any indication.

"Whatever your plan is, it won't work, Katherine," he said tightly. "I'm unfamiliar with this…new game you're playing, but I refuse to play along. I did what I had to do because you are legally my wife and the mother of my child; don't take that as more than it is. Nothing changed," he finished and got out of the room without looking back.

N: Please review and let me know what you think of this chapter.