a/n: ugh...the CW is trying to kill us Delena fans...

THREE

Elena sat in the back of Alaric's car, trying very hard to keep her eyes focused on the road before her. She hated the fact that Stefan had to stay behind to babysit Caroline, leaving her to be alone with Damon. The feel of his lips on hers, his arms wrapped around her tightly still plagued her. She let her eyes close as she thought of what could have happened, what would have happened if Jeremy hadn't interrupted.

Damon watched Elena battle her inner demons from the side mirror. He could catch glimpses of her if he positioned himself the right way. The way she had kissed Stefan in front of him before their trip didn't sit well with him. It meant that her emotions for him were starting to come out and they were scaring her. If he wasn't careful, he would lose the progress he had worked so hard to make.

Every so often, Damon would cover the smile that took hold of his lips when he felt Elena's eyes burning a hole through the back of his head. He couldn't read her mind, but he knew that every time she looked at him, she was reliving that kiss. He knew because it was the same for him when he looked at her.

Damon shifted in his seat and did a double take as he noticed the stifled smirk on Alaric's face. "What?" he asked, noticing Elena's attention turning to him from the corner of his eye.

"Nothing," Alaric responded and cleared his throat before letting his smirk widen.

Damon turned to look at Elena. He couldn't help but smile with smug satisfaction at the way she straightened up quickly and blushed ever so slightly. If he had been human, he wouldn't have noticed the faint change of color in her cheeks. "And you," he started. "How long is this silent treatment going to last? For that matter, would you mind explaining what I did to deserve it?"

Elena glared at him; he knew exactly what he did. Her eyes darted to Alaric's reflection in the rearview mirror before returning to Damon. "Now is not the time to talk about it," she muttered.

Alaric's smirk faded as he glanced at Damon. Something was going on between the two of them and he was one hundred percent sure he didn't want to know what it was. He was also a hundred percent sure that he knew what it was anyway. Damon sat back and looked out the windshield. "Now is the perfect time to talk about it. Ric here can play mediator."

"Damon," she warned, using that tone that made him grind his teeth and clutch at the seat, almost tearing it to shreds. "Drop it," she added, putting a significant amount of seriousness in her voice.

When the moment of tension passed, Elena put her head against the window and let her eyes close, trying her best to block out any thoughts of Damon. Damon shook himself and looked at Alaric. "So, if Isobel has been 'missing' for two years, why did they keep her office? Don't they usually pack it up and hire someone new?" He refused to sit in a silent car; the beating of both their hearts was driving him crazy.

Alaric shrugged. "That's what I always thought," he answered.

Damon waited for more words to follow and sighed when the teacher fell silent. "The two of you are horrible company," he announced and reached for the radio.

Elena couldn't help but smile as the two men up front began arguing about miniscule things; who the greatest band was, the best song, things like that. It was so...normal. Damon caught her smile in the side mirror and smirked arrogantly. It was a step in the right direction.

By the time they reached Duke, Elena was more than ready to get out and stretch. Her body was sore from sitting in the car; she could only imagine how Alaric was feeling given that he was the one driving. The second the car slid into a parking space, Elena bolted out and sighed with relief. "I'll be right back," Alaric told them as he began walking towards the main building.

Elena tensed a bit at the thought of being alone with Damon, but recovered almost immediately. She did a few stretches to get the ache out of her body and then leaned against the car while she waited. Damon stood next to her and she tried her best to ignore him. "So this silent treatment, is this because you kissed me?"

Her head snapped to the side. "You kissed me, I did not kiss you!" she hissed and pushed herself away from the car.

Damon grabbed her and pulled her back, pinning her between him and the car. His head tilted to the side out of amusement. "I may have started it," he said and brought his hand up to caress her cheek. "But you didn't exactly pull away."

Elena saw him leaning in. This time, she had enough strength to push him away. He looked mildly surprised, although it was hard to tell with the grin still on his face. "Stop it, Damon," she demanded and took off in the direction Alaric had gone.

Elena stopped in front of the steps leading to the building, tensing as she felt Damon stop right behind her. "Elena-" he started, only to be cut off by Alaric coming out of the building.

"Alright, we're cleared," he announced and beckoned for the two of them to follow his lead.

Elena practically ran after him, using every muscle in her legs to keep her stride evenly matched with Alaric's. Damon walked behind them, enjoying the view. "Do you think we should bring this stuff back with us?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Maybe."

"She's been missing for two years. I'm sure the university would allow you to bring this stuff home. She was your wife."

Alaric glanced down at the girl beside him. "I'll think about it," he assured her and opened the door to one of the large buildings. Once Elena passed, he walked in, letting Damon hold the door for himself. He caught the vampire's narrowed eyes before following Elena inside.

He led them down a corridor and into a large room. There was a girl rifling through a file cabinet when they walked in. "Hello," she said and smiled in their direction. "Can I help you?"

"I'm Alaric Saltzman, this is Damon and Elena. We're here to check out my..." he paused to clear his throat. "Isobel's office. We need something from her research."

She nodded and turned around. "Right this way," she said and led them through the room until they came to a door marked "OFFICE." The girl pushed it open and waited for the three guests to pass her. "I'm Vanessa Monroe, one of Isobel's students. Has there been any news on her whereabouts?" she asked, looking at Alaric.

His lips pressed into a thin line as he shook his head. "No," he lied.

Elena looked away; lying was not her strong suit. As she turned, she saw a shelf with old relics and fossils from the past. "This is all Isobel's?" she breathed, not necessarily for anyone in particular.

"Isobel always loved dead things," Damon quipped.

Elena turned to give him a look of disgust as Alaric took a deep breath and moved to another area of the office. "Damon-"

The smirk dropped from his face, not from her words, but because something was off. "Where is she?" he asked, referring to the new girl as he looked at Alaric.

Before he could answer, Vanessa appeared in the doorway. She was holding a loaded crossbow aimed at Elena's heart. Damon sped across the room and made it just in time to take the arrow in his back for Elena. He groaned in pain and locked eyes with Elena. Her body had gone still from shock, but her breathing was shallow. Damon felt his knees beginning to buckle and instead of landing on the ground like he was aiming for, he ended up falling forward, trapping Elena between him and the bookcase.

Elena gasped as the edge dug into her back from Damon's dead weight pushing against her. She watched Alaric take Vanessa out of the room after getting the weapon from her. Once they were alone, Elena took a deep breath. She did a double take as she noticed the veins under Damon's eyes becoming more prominent. That gave her enough strength to push him away long enough to get out from underneath him. Elena stood behind him, staring at the arrow protruding from his shoulder.

"Will you pull the damn thing out already?" he growled, bracing himself against the bookcase.

His voice allowed her to put the shock of almost being killed away and she stepped forward. Elena raised her hands four or five times before she finally got the courage to wrap her fingers around the arrow. Closing her eyes, she tightened her grasp and pulled it out. Damon shuddered and rolled his shoulders as the wound began to heal.

"I guess this means we're even," Elena heard herself say as she stared at the arrow in her hands.

Damon turned and plucked it from her hands and tossed it into the nearest trash can. "Not even close," he replied and began walking towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Elena asked, grabbing onto his arm.

"She almost killed you," he growled.

Elena withdrew her hand, frightened by the rate of which his eyes were darkening. "Yeah, but she didn't."

He went still as a statue for a moment and then nodded. "Fine. I won't kill her, but if she tries again..."

Elena nodded. "Thank you."

Damon followed Elena out of the room where Alaric was pressing Vanessa for information. "Look, Isobel told me the story of Mystic Falls and she showed me pictures of Katherine Pierce," she explained, glaring at Elena. "And she told me of Damon Salvatore; how he loved Katherine. So when you walked I just assumed and-"

"You really should think before you shoot people," Damon interrupted from behind Elena. "And if I were you, I would be extra nice to me now."

Elena tried not to roll her eyes as she returned Vanessa's glare. "I'm not Katherine," she stated, letting her eyes flicker towards the bit of Damon that she could see. "My name is Elena Gilbert. I'm Isobel's daughter, one that she gave up for adoption in high school. I'm a descendent of Katherine's."

Vanessa looked at Alaric. "Safe to say you're not the father?"

"No," he answered and focused his attention elsewhere.

"We're here for something that Isobel researched," Elena added. "You don't have to help us, but I wouldn't try to prevent us from looking either."

Damon nodded, "I would listen to her if I were you."

Elena turned to face him. He gave her that "I couldn't help myself" look and she rolled her eyes. "Come on, we're wasting time."

Damon sighed as she walked past him and into the office. "Nothing's going to happen to your precious Stefan." Elena ignored his comment and began searching through the files that she could see.

Hours later, they had gone through all of Isobel's research. Fortunately, Vanessa had chosen to cooperate with them, answering questions as best she could. Nothing had Elena worried until they came across the legend of werewolves and the curse that plagued them. "I don't understand how werewolves could exist," Damon said after hearing the legend. Three pairs of eyes looked at him with doubt. "Yes, I know, vampires exist so everything else should, but I've been around for a century and a half and have yet to come across any wolves."

Vanessa nodded at that. "That's because vampires have gone to great lengths to destroy them."

"Why?" Alaric and Elena asked at the same time, glancing at each other briefly.

"Because a werewolf bite can be lethal to vampires."

The room went deadly silent and Elena began to worry even more. "I have to call Stefan," she said and excused herself.

He answered quickly. "Hey, how is everything?"

"We found something out."

"What?"

"Werewolf bites can kill vampires."

There was a bit of silence from Stefan. "Elena, I have to go."

"Stefan? What is it?"

"It's Caroline," he said with a bit of tension. "Thank you for letting me know," he said and hung up abruptly.

Elena stared at the ground before her for a moment before putting the phone back in her pocket. "What did lover boy have to say?" Damon asked from behind her, making her jump.

"Something came up with Caroline so we didn't get to say much," she replied, wrapping her arms around herself. "Have you...healed yet?" she asked, curiosity getting the best of her.

"I've been healed since you pulled that damn thing out of me. But, if you're offering..." he added in a low voice as he moved closer to her.

Elena shook her head and stepped back. "No."

Damon shrugged and smiled at her. "Can't blame a guy for trying," he said and walked past her.

Elena took a deep breath and followed him back inside. Once they started going through files again, Elena turned to Vanessa. "What do you know about doppelgangers?"

Damon stopped what he was doing and watched Elena's reaction to Vanessa's words. "Just that they are doubles of one another. The doppelganger's only purpose is to torment."

Elena snorted and ran a hand through her hair. "You don't have to tell me twice," she muttered and picked up one of the files from the box in front of her. "Do you have anything else on Katherine?"

Vanessa shook her head. "Just whatever is in that box."

Damon looked down at the book in his hand. Petrova was the only word on the cover, located along the spine. It was Katherine's original name, that much he had learned from snooping around when he had been human. He would tell Elena about it when they were alone.

"I think we should head back. We found all that we need for right now," Alaric said.

Elena nodded in agreement. With the way Stefan had ended their phone call, she was eager to get back and find out what happened. It didn't help that she was exhausted. Who knew searching through an endless amount of paperwork could take so much out of a person? "That sounds good," Elena said and began putting things back where they belonged.

"Don't worry about it," Vanessa said, reaching over to grab her hands. "I'm kind of a neat freak with a strong sense of OCD."

Elena smiled and let go of the box. "Then I'll leave it to you."

"Thanks."

"I'll meet you two at the car?" Alaric said, nothing bothering to hide the fact that he had something to say to Vanessa that he didn't want Damon and Elena to overhear.

"Thanks again, Vanessa," Elena said as she gathered her things and headed towards the door. Not bothering to wait and see if Damon were behind her, Elena made her way to the outside of the building and then paused.

"Do you even remember where the car is?" came Damon's voice in her ear.

Elena whirled around and put some distance between them. "Yes!" she snapped and stalked off in what she hoped was the right direction.

Damon smirked and followed her at a distance. He was only slightly surprised that she found the car without any direction from him. His smirk turned into a full on grin at the sight of her yanking on the handle. He simply stepped into her view and pressed the unlock button, having gotten the keys from Alaric before following her out. Elena made a face at him and opened the door. As she moved to get in, he blocked her.

"What?" she asked.

He narrowed his eyes at her. Instead of mentioning the kiss, Damon placed the book in her hands. "I found this. It should answer some of your questions about Katherine."

Elena read the lettering on the spine and moved her hand carefully over the cover. "Petrova?"

"Katherine's original last name."

"How do you know?"

"I was curious about her. I wanted to know more, but she wouldn't tell me, so I had to do some digging of my own. Let me know what you find," he said.

She nodded and watched him as he stepped back. "Thanks for the book Damon," she said quietly and climbed into the back of the car.

Damon shut the door behind her and waved at Alaric. "Ready?" he asked.

"Yes, because I just love Mystic Falls far too much to stay away," Damon returned sarcastically.

The teacher grinned. "You may say that with sarcasm, but we both know it's the truth. Otherwise you wouldn't have come back in the first place."

Damon's eyes narrowed at him before he got into the passenger seat of the car. The ride home was filled with the sounds of the radio and none of the tension from earlier. Elena was sitting behind Alaric, allowing Damon to watch her as she flipped through the weathered pages of the book. By the time they got to the Gilbert house, Elena wanted to start reading despite the exhaustion that craved sleep.

Alaric parked in her driveway and the three of them got out. "Are you coming inside?" she asked Alaric.

He nodded. "I have to talk to your aunt," he said and headed to the house.

Elena stared after him, trying not to smile at the fact that he had blushed with embarrassment. The humor died as she looked at Damon who was leaning on the exterior of the house, watching her intently. "What?" she asked, holding the book to her chest.

"So are you angry at me because you kissed me or because Jeremy interrupted us?"

Elena mumbled something under her breath in frustration, not wanting to have this argument again. She looked at him and shook her head. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"And you'll give me an honest answer? No snarky side comment or sarcastic remark?"

He pushed himself away from the wall and studied her. "Yes."

"If Jeremy hadn't interrupted us, would you have stopped?"

He thought about it for a moment before replying with, "Would you?"

Elena hadn't expected that answer. Her lips parted and then pressed into a thin line, shaking her head again. "This isn't going to work."

"What isn't?"

"Us."

"Us?"

She sighed, "Our friendship."

Damon was taken aback by those words. They sliced through him just as bad, if not worse, than Katherine's words had. "May I ask why?"

"I'm with Stefan."

"That doesn't mean we can't be friends."

She took a deep breath and looked at him with saddened eyes. "We kissed; twice. I hate lying to him and it's eating me away inside. I do have feelings for you Damon, that last kiss proved it. I don't know what would have happened if Jeremy hadn't interrupted it us, but I'm glad he did." She paused to take another deep breath and gather her courage. "As I said before, I want to be your friend, but right now, it's getting hard to be near you without wanting to explore those feelings."

"Elena-" he started, but she cut him off.

"I will not be like Katherine. I'm making a choice and I'm choosing Stefan."

Damon's lip curled. "Katherine chose him too," he muttered, trying to keep his anger contained.

"It took her a hundred and fifty years to make a decision; it doesn't count," she argued, refusing to believe that Katherine had really come back for Stefan.

Faster than she could blink, Damon pinned her between himself and the exterior of the house. She let out a gasp of surprise and heard the book fall to the ground, landing by her feet. "At least Katherine had the decency to sample both of us before she made her choice," he growled and lowered his lips to hers.

Elena was determined not to give in; not when he was being like this. She turned her head to the side, breaking the kiss, and shoved at him with all her might. Granted, against a persistent vampire, it did nothing. "Damon, stop!" she demanded, trying not to alert anyone inside to what was going on.

Simultaneously, the pair went still. Elena's heavy breathing and pounding heart were the only audible things. Elena shut her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to get control of her breathing. She felt Damon move and it caused her eyelids to squeeze tighter. Instead of hurting her like she anticipated, he wrapped his arms around her and pressed his cheek to hers. Elena's eyes snapped open, stunned by the action; he was hugging her. "Elena, don't-"

The pleading in his voice tore her heart in two, but the rest of his words were interrupted by Alaric as he came out of the house. The smile that was on his face died at the sight of Damon and Elena holding onto each other. Elena used the distraction to pull away, get the book, and head as quickly as she could inside the house. Once inside, she rested against the front door and thought about what she had done, hoping that she had made the right choice.

Before she could dwell on the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, Jeremy's voice pulled her from her thoughts. "Hey, how was the trip?" he asked, coming down the stairs.

"What were you and Damon talking about the other day?" she asked, completely ignoring his question.

Jeremy straightened up and looked around for any sign of Jenna. "During the carnival, I went to the boarding house. Stefan gave me some liquid vervain and I put it in his liquor. I waited until he got back because I wanted to stake him."

"Why?"

"Because of what he did. He killed several people in this town. One of them was Vicki."

"Why didn't you stake him?"

Jeremy gave his sister a small smile. "Because if a murderous monster like Damon Salvatore can get you to be friends with him, he can't be all bad."

Elena's eyes closed slightly, the feeling of nausea rolling through her. "Thanks, Jer," she said tightly and stepped forward to hug him. She swallowed around a tight throat and pulled back. Without another word, she headed up to her room, half expecting Damon to be there, completely surprised when he wasn't. She sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the book in her hands. In her heart, Elena knew she had done the right thing, but that didn't stop her from feeling guilty.

He was unstable as it was after Katherine's rejection, but Elena was certain that her words had pushed him over the edge. She was certain that Damon wouldn't recover from this, but she had made her choice and she had to live with it.