Confessions and Compulsion

A/N: Hey! on behalf of Pompeystar and myself, we'd like to say thank you to everyone who reviewed/favourited and alerted the last chapter! We hope you like this chapter - there is some Delena as well as plenty of Katherine's vindictiveness! Please let us know what you think - we'd love to know what more of you thought! Enjoy! xxx

It wasn't until just before midnight that Elena returned to the Boarding house. Being a vampire had made her feel literally invincible, and so she'd decided to stay longer with her parents at the graveyard. If Elijah had kept his end of the deal, Stefan and Katherine would be out of the tomb by now, and the chaos bound to occur would prevent her from going to see them again for a while. She already didn't see them enough as it was.

"Damon?" she called as she stepped into the house, her voice quivering a little with apprehension. The way she'd left things with him made her feel horrible. Whilst sitting by her parents' graves, enveloped in a soothing silence, she'd thought over the entire conversation and realised how crazy she'd sounded. Of course Damon would be angry – how could he have understood her when she hadn't bothered to explain herself? She'd just gotten so used to him knowing her and understanding her that she'd expected him to know.

Silence greeted her and she frowned. If it wasn't for her heightened sense of hearing, she'd never have heard him moving around in the living room. She followed the faint sounds he was making until she could see him standing by the fire, scotch in hand, back to her.

They stood in silence for a few moments, neither sure of what to say. Elena, who had rehearsed her apology at least ten times in her head, was suddenly at a loss for words. Luckily for her, Damon saved her the trouble of initiating a conversation:

"So, you decided to come back then."

His voice was dry and flat – as though the scotch had burned a trail straight down his throat.

"You knew I would," Elena said, walking a little closer but making sure she still kept a friendly distance. She didn't know how long Damon had been drinking for, and he was obviously still angry with her. She knew he'd never hurt her, but she also knew how temperamental he was at the moment and didn't want to test him.

"Well, if you're looking for your boyfriend and his beloved whore, you're out of luck. They haven't shown up yet," Damon said bitterly. He was surprised at his own anger, though it was more towards himself than Elena. He should have been protecting her. Elijah had been able to compel him, which had not only highlighted his weakness compared to the Original, but had caused Elena to have to make a deal with him. A deal that would now impact their lives and cause Elena more pain than necessary. Stefan's feelings for Katherine were way more complicated than his, and having them both back in the same place was going to open up a can of worms that could never be closed.

"I'm not looking for them," she said calmly before walking to stand beside him. "I came to talk to you."

Damon turned to her for the first time since she'd arrived and fixed her with a cool stare.

"Isn't it a bit late for talking? The damage appears to have been done."

"Damon, I had to make a deal with him! It was the only way!" Elena exclaimed, suddenly irritated with his refusal to even listen to her. "I'm sorry for storming off and not explaining things properly, but if you don't understand now, I don't think you ever will!"

Damon's gaze softened slightly when he heard her voice break. He didn't want to make her cry; upsetting her was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Explain it to me now," he asked quietly. Elena eyed him sceptically until she was sure he was sincere, before walking to the couch and sitting down; the urge to put some distance between them as she explained herself was too strong to ignore.

"He loves her," she said quietly, her eyes fixed on his. "And before you start, I know he loves me, but I think we all know who he loves more. I won't stand in the way of that, and I know he won't be happy without her."

Damon stared at her in complete disbelief. He understood her – he honestly wouldn't have expected anything less from her, but her emotional strength never ceased to amaze him. If her actions had done anything, they had confirmed how right he was: she loved Stefan unconditionally, and that was that. He'd done something similar when he'd compelled her to forget his confession, and for the first time, found himself truly understanding the strength of her feelings towards Stefan. Her feelings for him could never compete.

"I think you seem to be forgetting exactly who Katherine is!" he exclaimed, swirling his glass around with his left hand. "Now that she's out, she's capable of anything. She doesn't care about anyone – not even everyone's beloved Stefan! She looks out for herself and no one else."

Elena studied him for a minute.

"I think you're wrong."

Damon rolled his eyes. Trust Elena to somehow see the best in her psychotic doppelganger!

"Oh really?" he goaded sarcastically.

"Yes, I do!" she replied determinedly. "I think she cares about one person besides herself; Stefan. And I think you know that too – you just don't want to admit it because a part of you is hurt by the fact that it isn't you."

Within a second, Damon was kneeling in front of her, his blue eyes suddenly ablaze and his face darkened. Somewhere in his swift movements, he'd placed his glass down and had trapped her on the couch with both of his hands.

"Do not psycho-analyse me, Elena," he warned in between clenched teeth. "I hate it when people do that, and they often don't live for very long after."

I should be scared of him, but I'm not, Elena thought to herself as she watched the vampire in front of her. She knew she'd hit the proverbial nail directly on the head: he knew that if Katherine was going to care about anyone else in the world, it would be Stefan. Not him. And even though he claimed to be over her, she could tell that the blatant rejection bothered him.

"Not denying it though, are you?" she whispered, suddenly very aware of how close he was.

Damon growled, his head buzzing with an array of emotions: anger, frustration lust and of course, love – arguably the worst of all because it over-ruled the others. He hated it when people tried to see into his mind – tried to work out what he was feeling, mainly because he worked so hard to keep his humanity concealed from others. But she was the exception. She could see through him in one glance, cut him down with one sentence, and he'd never be able to do anything about it. Because he loved her.

He leaned a little closer to her, and was mildly surprised when she didn't lean back. Their eyes seemed to be locked together in a strong gaze; unblinking, unwavering. She knew she should look away from him, get up and go upstairs to wait for Stefan, but his eyes were like liquid pools of fire, and she was quite content to drown in them. Just as he started to lean closer still, the front door opened and they sprang apart.

"Well, well, well. This is…cosy!"

The sickly sweet sound that came to their ears sent a shiver down their spines. Elena looked up and immediately winced – looking at her own face on someone else would never cease to shock her. She took in the smirk on her doppleganger's face and her general arrogant stance and found herself doubting her decision. Maybe letting Katherine out too was a mistake?

Her eyes shifted to make contact with Stefan's, but he was looking determinedly away from her. Great, she thought irritably. And I was afraid this was going to be awkward. She ran her eyes over him quickly to make sure he was physically ok, and found that there was nothing alarming about his appearance. In fact, it was as though he'd never been away. His skin did seem a little paler (if that was even possible) due to the lack of exposure to sunlight it had gotten in the tomb, but that was it.

"Katherine," Damon said tightly, both irritated at her presence, and for ruining the moment.

"Damon!" she exclaimed in a sugary tone that did nothing to conceal her contempt. "How nice to see you again."

"How nice indeed," he said bitterly before walking towards Stefan. "No greeting from you, little brother? I'm hurt, really."

Stefan rolled his eyes before smiling tightly.

"I see the house is still in one piece. That's reassuring," he said in an attempt to lighten the mood. Elena frowned; his voice sounded different somehow – stronger, and she couldn't work out why it bothered her. Did it have something to do with Katherine? And why hadn't he spoken to her? She assumed it was due to the extreme guilt he was feeling, but it hurt all the same.

"Have you got anything to drink, Damon dearest? I'm parched!" Katherine complained, bored of being ignored and genuinely quite thirsty. Damon rolled his eyes at her.

"And what makes you think that I'd give you anything? I don't know if you've noticed, Katherine sweetheart, but I don't particularly like you!"

Stefan's eyes hardened but Katherine laughed, as though she'd expected him to say something like that.

"Oh Damon, that's not a very nice thing to say to your new house guest, is it?"

Damon's jaw dropped whilst Elena felt guilt engulf her. This was all her fault. As crazy as it sounded, she'd never thought about where Katherine would stay once she was out of the tomb. But now the answer seemed obvious – she'd stay with Stefan, and Stefan would stay here. It didn't matter whether they broke up or not, Katherine was back in the hub of the Salvatore home, and she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

"Over my dead body!" Damon exclaimed angrily. "You staying here was not part of any deal and I'll be damned before I let that happen!"

"Damon…" Stefan started. "Just let her stay! She has nowhere else to go –"

"Not my problem Stefan!" Damon replied, not impressed by his brother's charitable act. "My house my rules, and if you don't like it, you can go too!"

"Mature, Damon. Really, it's good to see you've grown up!" Katherine said sarcastically, clearly enjoying the drama she was causing. Damon growled in anger and Stefan took a step towards him.

"Damon…" he said in a warning voice.

The brothers locked eyes and argued non-verbally for a few moments. The tension in the room became stifling and Elena, who seemed to have been forgotten, found it unbearable.

"Everyone just calm down!" she pleaded. Stefan turned to her for the first time and suddenly, everyone else faded away. Looking at her after so long made him see the innocence exuding from her. He'd become so accustomed to the darkness surrounding Katherine that he'd forgotten how refreshing and liberating the light glowing from Elena was. Suddenly, the guilt he'd been trying to repress surfaced, and his eyes misted over.

"Elena- "

"Shhh!" Katherine hushed suddenly, her head tilted in concentration. "Don't say anything!"

Stefan looked at her in confusion and Damon quirked an eyebrow.

"Can't you hear that?" she asked, her face deadly serious.

"What?" Stefan asked impatiently.

"No heartbeat," she replied, a smug smile on her face. She turned to Elena, her eyes sparkling with mirth. "Well, well, twin! Didn't know you had it in you!"

"Be quiet Katherine!" Damon said in a low, threatening voice. His eyes narrowed in anger.

Stefan's eyes were wide as realisation hit him, and he turned to Elena with a hurt expression.

"Elena…" he started, clearly in shock. "What…how?"

"I can explain," Elena said, her voice heavy with emotion as tears began to pour down her face. She'd never felt so much contempt towards someone in her life. She'd never expected Katherine to express any kind of gratitude towards her for getting her out of the tomb, but she certainly hadn't expected her to snatch away her right to tell Stefan about everything like that. This was not how things were supposed to be. "Can we talk?"

Damon watched as Elena tried to plead with Stefan, her cheeks glossy with tears, and repressed the urge to take her into his arms and whisk her away from all of this.

"Yes, I think that's a good idea," Katherine interjected, stroking Stefan's arm with one of her long fingernails. "The two of you have so much to talk about!"

Stefan gulped uneasily before pulling away from Katherine and walking towards the stairs whilst Elena choked back a sob, wiped her eyes and went after him. Damon glared at Katherine who was smiling triumphantly, and stopped himself from throwing her into the wall.

"So, Damon," Katherine said as she sauntered over to the couch and sat down, exactly where Elena had been sitting. "How about that drink?"

x-x-x

Once in Stefan's bedroom, the couple lapsed into an awkward silence. Stefan collapsed onto his bed and cradled his head in his hands. Elena felt her heart ache for him, but couldn't shake the niggling feeling of betrayal that was prominent in her mind.

After a few moments, Stefan sat up and looked at her with glassy eyes and a hurt expression.

"How did this happen?"

Elena sighed.

"I was driving and my car skidded on the ice. I went over Wickery Bridge. I still had your blood in my system which is why I'm still here," she explained, trying to keep the details as simple as possible. "Damon found me."

"I did this to you?" he whispered softly with a dejected expression.

"Your blood saved me!" she said firmly, not wanting him to torture himself about it. "Without it I would be dead!"

"I never wanted this life for you, Elena!" he said, looking her directly in the eyes.

"It was never your choice to make, Stefan."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Where were you going anyway?"

Elena swallowed hard. And now came the hard part.

"I don't know. I was upset and I needed to get away."

Stefan frowned.

"Why were you upset?"

Elena sighed and wrung her hands together nervously.

"I saw you with Katherine."

Stefan's eyes widened and Elena knew she didn't have to say anything else. As each wave of guilt hit him, Stefan became more and more devastated, and she had to stop herself from reaching out to him. He'd broken her heart, and guilt was a consequence he'd have to deal with.

"Elena, I am so, so sorry!" he pleaded, rushing towards her and cradling her face in his hands. "I swear it didn't mean anything…"

"Don't lie to yourself, Stefan," Elena said softly, her eyes focussing directly on his. "I know you still love her. It's so obvious. Just admit it to yourself."

Stefan shook his head indignantly.

"No, Elena, I love you! She doesn't even come close…"

"STOP IT STEFAN!" Elena yelled, pulling away from him. "You have feelings for her, feelings that are so deep you can barely understand them yourself! I know you love me, but anyone can see that you love her too."

There was silence and Elena watched as Stefan began to take in her words. She knew it was harsh and probably not the best way to approach such a delicate subject, but she needed him to confront his own feelings before things got even messier.

"Elena," he said after a while. "You need to know that I still love you. Regardless of what I feel for her, I love you."

Elena inwardly rolled her eyes, trying so hard to keep up the make-shift iron shields she'd put up around her heart. His words were getting to her; even through the tangled mess that were her feelings for both of the Salvatore Brothers, hearing him say that he still loved her made her heart flutter. It gave her hope. But the betrayal hanging over them like a dark shadow swiftly popped back into her mind, and she was forced to concentrate on the matter at hand.

"Stefan, if you loved me, you wouldn't have kissed her. You wouldn't have done anything, because the thought of me would have been enough…"

"Normally yes, but being in such an enclosed space does things to you!" Stefan exclaimed in a pleading tone, trying to get her to understand. He knew that what he was saying probably made no sense, and that it really wasn't fair on Elena, but he simply didn't want to let go of everything they had. He couldn't walk away from her. He loved her – even if his heart seemed to be slipping away from her.

"You know what blood lust feels like," he continued, keeping his eyes locked on hers. "You know how it feels to be so consumed by it that nothing makes sense anymore. It's part of being a vampire. But imagine what it feels like to be so deprived of it that you can feel yourself withering away. She was there and I was weak."

Elena swallowed hard and wrapped her arms around herself.

"What do you want me to say, Stefan? What do you want to do?"

"I want us to stay together!" he said, stepping closer to her. "We belong together, Elena, and I know we can figure this out!"

Elena sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Was this really what she wanted? To go back to square one with Stefan? How could they have a relationship when they both had feelings for other people? She knew she loved him, but she wasn't sure it was enough?

"Stefan, I need time," she said slowly, needing him to understand her. "I honestly don't know what to think anymore, and what you did still hurts. I don't know if it's fixable."

There was a heartbreaking silence and neither had the strength to break it with lies to make them feel better. Their relationship that had once been so perfect, was now bittersweet and on the verge of being lost forever. Neither could find their voices to say that the feelings they'd once harbored for each other were no longer strong enough to keep them together. But there were no words to describe the feeling of loss they both felt at that moment, mainly because there was a small, minuscule percentage of both of them that felt a sense of freedom. Almost as though the ropes that had been binding them together so tightly had been loosened and they could breathe again. Elena sighed heavily and all but ran out of his room. Maybe time apart was what they needed in order for them to determine their future together? For now though, she knew that she had bigger things to worry about - mainly her psychotic clone who was downstairs now, alone with Damon.

x-x-x

"You don't have to look so angry!" Katherine said as Damon continued to scowl at her from his place at the window in the living room. "And to think there was a time when you'd have killed to be alone with me!"

Damon's glare gained intensity as she blinked at him through her thick eyelashes, her face a picture of feigned innocence.

"Ah yes, the good old days when you were screwing both me and Stefan. Fun times."

Katherine giggled and got up from her seat.

"I don't know why you hate me so much, Damon. If anything you should be thanking me!"

"Thanking you?" Damon repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Why the hell should I be thanking you?"

"Because," she said as she made her way over to him. "I've taken Stefan out of your way! Now you can have Elena all to yourself, and no one is going to stand in your way!"

Damon rolled his eyes.

"She loves Stefan, and Stefan loves her. He'd never go back to you - he hates you!"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you," she said as she walked closer to him. Damon leaned away from her and gulped down the rest of his fifth glass of scotch that evening.

"Whatever Katherine! This isn't important. You have bigger things to worry about - like where you're going to stay!"

Katherine rolled her eyes.

"You know as well as I do that I'm staying right here, and there's nothing you can do about it!" Damon glared at her. "We'll have so much fun! All of us together under the same roof - a twisted love square."

Before Damon could reply, Katherine sped to his drinks cabinet and poured herself a glass of vintage whiskey. He growled and felt anger course through him. It was going to be a long night.

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