A/N: Yup, I was in a writing mood today, so I got this update out, as well as a new standalone titled "Pretty Girl (The Way)" rated M. Go on and check it out if you haven't already. I also got started on a couple others so hopefully I'll be able to get some more wonderful Delena stuff going. Thanks again for all the comments and favourites! Let me know what you think of this chapter. I seemed to have a lot of fun writing this one, mainly because I love angst and drama.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of The Vampire Diaries or the show itself. This is just fiction purely for fan entertainment. I do however own the ideas and most of the plotlines of the story. Please don't take them.

Chapter Seven: Cheater

As the tears rolled down Elena's cheeks she thought about of how she'd just made such a stupid decision. She knew Damon was right. She had known for a long time but she wouldn't let herself accept it. It was wrong. As much as she craved him and as much as she was dying to have him, it was wrong to do this when she was with Stefan. She wasn't a cheater.

Except, now she was. As of late last night, she'd become both a cheater and a liar.

As much as she wanted to tell Stefan, she knew she couldn't. She replayed Damon's words in her head over and over again. That all the above doesn't matter because 'I love you, Stefan'? In her head that would have worked out just fine. She'd tell Stefan everything. She'd tell him how they slept together, about how she was just feeling...vulnerable? Maybe because Damon was just being so nice to her and so caring with her when Stefan wasn't able to be there? She'd apologize, maybe cry a little, tell Stefan how much he meant to her and then he would hold her and tell her he forgave her and that he loved her more than anything else in the world. He'd tell her that all this didn't matter, that Damon must have compelled her or something; that it was all out of her control. But the smarter part of her realized that she'd never seen Stefan angrier than when Damon told him he kissed "her". Just knowing Damon made a pass at his girl, even though it was Katherine, tore him up inside, and in turn he was ready to tear out Damon's insides. And knowing this...knowing she'd done this with Damon might send him into a downward spiral she worried he couldn't get back from. And she didn't want Damon to have to suffer Stefan's wrath when she played just as equal a part in this, even though she'd never admit it out loud.

She wiped off some of the tears from her face with the edge of her shirt. She then realized she was wearing the same clothes that she had been wearing yesterday; the same clothes that had been getting all wrinkly while lying all night in a hastily made pile on her bedroom floor. She pulled them off on her way to the bathroom. She'd never needed a shower so bad. She shoved the bathroom door shut behind her and turned on the shower's spray. She stepped inside and covered her face in the lukewarm water before pushing her hair out of her eyes. She sniffled a little and heard a sound outside in her bedroom. Her heart picked up its pace and for a brief second she silently pleaded that it would be Damon so she could apologize and tell him that he was right. She wanted this, whatever this was. She heard the bathroom door creak open and she attempted to peer through the opaque shower curtain. She saw a male figure walk in and close the door behind him. She closed her eyes and smiled to herself. She knew he'd come back.

She felt a slight rush of cool air brush past her back as the end of the shower curtain was pushed aside and he stepped into the shower with her. She felt his arms embrace her and she leaned into his now naked chest. She was ready to breathe out her apology when her eyes popped open. Tears started to cloud her eyes and spill over her already wet cheeks. She turned in his arms.

"Stefan," she choked out.

She felt him stroke her hair. "What's the matter?" his soft voice questioned.

The secret threatened to spill out her lips but she shook her head against his chest. "I've missed you...so much."

He shushed her, running his hands up and down her back through the spray from the shower. "I'm here now. Everything's going to be okay."

She nodded against his chest before leaning up to him, placing her lips on his.

Damon paced back and forth by the front door of her house. He debated back and forth in his head whether he should go back in and apologize. Was he out of line with his lecture he gave her? He knew this must be hard for her. Yeah, as much as he hated to admit it to himself, she was in love with Stefan and she was confused as hell. Yet there he was, throwing himself all over her, definitely not helping her situation. Then again, he was sure being sweet about it wasn't gonna help everything get through her head. She needed to know how he felt...and she needed to know that whether she was willing to admit it or not, she felt the same damn way.

He stopped his frantic pacing, ignored his disorganized thoughts and jumped up to her window, shoving it open before stepping back inside her bedroom.

He saw it was empty and heard the sound of the shower and so he stepped towards the bathroom door. He reached for the doorknob, grasping it while he leaned against the door. He sighed as his grip tightened on the knob just enough to turn it. He stopped suddenly and focused his hearing on the muffled noises inside.

I've missed you...so much.

If his heart were beating it would have stopped and clenched up inside his chest. He slowly turned the knob anyway, sliding the door open just a crack. He saw her arms wrapped around his brother and heard his whispered words.

I'm here now. Everything's going to be okay.

He watched as she kissed him.

Damon's blood began to boil, his anger obvious on his features if one of the two were to turn around and notice his scrutiny of them. He slid the door shut quietly and jumped back out the window, deciding that if Elena wanted to pull the same shit as Katherine did years ago, he was going to come out last, again...just as before. He'd just have to finally learn to accept his fate.

Stefan felt Elena start to grow limp in his arms, the warm water combined with her loss of so many tears making her sleepy.

"Elena...let's get you to bed," he smiled down at her.

She nodded without words and took his hand as he led her out of the bath.

She shrugged on a t-shirt and some underwear before slipping under the covers of her warm bed. Stefan slid in next to her without hesitation. He snuggled up behind her, his arm wrapped around her middle, fingers intertwining with hers as they rested at her stomach. He waited as she slowly drifted to sleep.

He had heard Damon.

He heard him slip through the window of Elena's bedroom and he listened intently as he heavily sighed against the wood of the door. He heard how he'd opened the bathroom door just a crack and saw him listening out of the corner of his eye. Worst of all, he'd heard Damon's breath increase. He knowingly sensed anger spreading through Damon's body and it made him angry himself.

The only reason why Damon would be that angry at seeing him with Elena was that he was in love with her. Stefan already knew this was true. But why would Damon hear the shower running and open the door without knocking? Stefan had heard Damon's grip on the doorknob before his sigh, as if he was gearing himself up to open it. He knew he'd been telling Damon to take care of Elena so that she wouldn't figure out what he was doing with Katherine, but he stupidly wasn't thinking that Damon would take advantage of it.

Elena had been so happy when he'd stepped into the shower with her, her heart fluttering in the way he recognized when he'd first met her and as soon as he'd wrapped her up in his arms, her heart had slowed, almost as if it had sunk in her chest. Her tears came quickly, and he somehow knew that it wasn't because she missed him. Damon was screwing with her, and he couldn't allow that.

"What the fuck are you doing to Elena?" Stefan shouted as he stormed through the front door of the house, his voice resonating off the walls of the house as he directed his question to nowhere in particular.

Damon smirked, "What the fuck are you doing to Elena?" he retorted.

Stefan growled slightly. "I want you to stay away from her!"

"That's not what you've been asking me to do lately. In fact, I believe it was the complete opposite. You needed me to get her off your back so that you could cheat on her...with Katherine," he paused. "In case you'd forgotten."

Stefan raced towards him, stopping mere inches from his brother's face. "She doesn't want you, Damon. You're fucking with her, and she's scared."

Damon furrowed his eyebrows. "What makes you think that?" he questioned.

"I went to see her today." Damon winced, remembering. "And she was crying...falling apart in my arms. What the hell did you say to her?"

"Elena was crying. So naturally I must have been a jackass."

"Naturally," Stefan agreed with his brother's sarcasm.

"Well, what if I just knocked some sense into her." Damon watched Stefan's eyes widen slightly before returning to angry slits.

"Did you tell her ab–"

"No, no, I didn't tell her about how you're fucking Katherine. That secret's still safe...for now," he said, turning to walk away.

"I heard you."

Damon stopped in his tracks. "What?" he turned back around.

"I heard you in Elena's room, while we were in the shower. I heard you open the door and I saw you looking at us. I heard your sigh, sensed your anger. Leave her alone, Damon. Seriously."

Damon turned away from him again, "Whatever."

Elena woke as she felt movement on the bed next to her. "Stefan?" she questioned, groggily turning over.

"Wrong," a female voice responded.

Elena visibly jumped back, quickly sitting up in her bed.

"Katherine? How'd you–"Elena cut herself off. She'd been invited in, that's how she'd gotten in here. Why even ask?

"Hello, Elena," Katherine smirked.

"Why are you here?" Elena questioned, her voice quiet, timid.

"I just wanted to, you know, get face the face with the only other girl to successfully sleep with both Salvatore brothers at the same time. We should make a club," she continued her smirk.

Elena shook her head.

"Oh, that's right. You haven't actually been sleeping with Stefan very much lately, have you?"

Elena furrowed her eyebrows.

"Oh, don't worry. I know everything that's going on in your life, Elena. Plus, Stefan would never have any time to sleep with you, for one since you're always sleeping with Damon and two, since Stefan's been too busy sleeping with me."

Elena's face took on a shocked expression.

"That's right, Elena, but you don't have to worry. I'm taking care of your boy."

Elena's eyes shifted back and forth for a second before she thought about where this information was coming from. "Yeah, sure, Katherine...in your dreams maybe. Stefan wouldn't touch you again unless his life depended on it." She climbed to her feet. She felt a little more capable of fighting back if needed if she were on her feet.

"Well, then he must feel like his life is in danger," she smirked. "Believe what you want, Elena, but why don't you ask Stefan...or maybe Damon? Your boys are very naughty, Elena. Neither can choose just one of us," she stepped closer to Elena. "I say, just go with it. We can all have what we want, Elena." And before Elena could piece together what Katherine was saying, she was gone. Elena couldn't even tell whether she'd used the window or the door. She shivered, as she had every time Katherine had breathed her name.

What the hell did she mean Stefan was sleeping with her? She was delusional. But still, Elena couldn't shake the feeling that it was plausible. After all, she did sleep with Damon and Stefan didn't have the slightest idea. At least, she didn't think he did. She obviously had some investigating to do.

A/N #2: Oh the drama. Sorry for skipping the smut, but I needed more to unfold to keep the story going. Hope you all liked it and please don't forget to review!