Chapter 18: Dead to You

Elena opened her locker to grab her things after school. She stayed a little late to talk to Alaric about the incident with Damon earlier. What the hell was wrong with him? Damon would never talk to her like that, especially after their newfound relationship.

She sighed and closed her locker, gasping when she saw Damon leaning casually on the other side. "God, Damon you scared me."

He smirked and moved to kiss her but she backed away. He frowned. "I've been waiting outside for half an hour, what took you? Did you have detention?" he teased.

Elena turned her eyes away from him and stepped around him to head down the hall, knowing he'd follow her. "No."

Damon fell in step beside her. "Okay clearly something is wrong, because you're ignoring all my charming advances." He was shocked when Elena shrugged his arm off her shoulders. "Elena…did I do something to piss you off?" he asked vulnerably.

Elena rolled her eyes. "Other than make a scene in front of the entire student body, treating me like the dirt under your boots, and threatening to kill Alaric…no nothing at all." She stated sarcastically.

Damon tugged on her arm gently to stop her. "Okay I'm missing something here…is this a recent sin your accusing me of?" he searched her angry face for answers.

"If you call this afternoon recent." She bit out pulling her arm out of his grasp, wincing when his fingers gripped the bruises still marking her arm.

Damon looked down at her arm and noticed the bruises, barely containing his rage. "Who did this to you?"

"You did!" Elena tears started to form in her eyes. "Please let me go Damon…I'm still mad at you."

Damon was utterly perplexed. "For what? I didn't see you this afternoon, Elena. I was with Lucia all day." He explained, suddenly worried about what happened in his absence.

Elena narrowed her eyes in confusion. "You said Lucia ditched you."

Damon shook his head. "No I didn't…she's sitting in the car waiting for us. Elena what happened today?" Damon tried to keep the panic out of his voice as he leveled his gaze with hers.

Elena told him how he came to the school, and demanded that she leave with him. She told him how he spoke to her so harshly and called her 'wrong', and how he threatened to kill Alaric if he tried to stop him.

Damon's eyes were wide with disbelief, and fury. "That wasn't me Elena." He looked around the empty school before grabbing her hand. "We have to go." They ran to the car, ignoring Lucia's complaints of them taking so long and headed back to the Boarding House.

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Damon, Elena, Lucia and Alaric all sat in the living room brainstorming what they thought they were dealing with.

"How is that even possible, someone walking, talking, looking exactly like you?" Lucia asked both her and Elena watching Damon pace in front of them.

"I don't know." He grumbled.

Elena stood and stepped in front of him stopping his nervous pacing. "Damon, we'll figure this out…maybe we need to talk to someone that has a little knowledge about this stuff." Damon knew that she was talking about Isobel and so did Alaric.

Alaric nodded. "I could contact her…" he offered and pulled out his phone when Elena nodded. He moved into the other room to make the phone call and Elena wrapped her arms around Damon's waist, resting her head on his chest. The teacher came back into the room a few minutes later. "She's on her way."

Lucia jumped up. "I'm not really the research type…I'll go into town, see if I can find any Damon shaped people walking around. I'll call you if I come up with anything." Lucia sped out the door without another word.

About ten minutes later, Alaric looked through books while Elena sat next to Damon leaning her head on his shoulder and running her hand up and down his back soothingly. He was looking at the floor like it held all the answers.

"We'll figure this out…what ever it is." She repeated again. Finally she was the one doing the reassuring.

Damon smirked, but it seemed empty. "Maybe I have a doppelganger too."

"Don't joke about this." She said seriously.

Damon sighed and looked at her. "Are you sure you can handle seeing Isobel?" he knew it was hard the last time.

Elena nodded. "She may have left me Damon, but she's still my mother. I can't not talk to her forever."

Damon smiled lovingly. "Ah, pulling out the double negative…a milder way of beating around the bush." He tried to distract himself from the seriousness of the situation. "You want to know her…I understand." Elena smiled back and kissed him. "If she pisses you off…all you have to do is say the word." He rested his forehead against hers, her scent around him calming him down.

They heard a clicking of heels coming inot the living room. "Well this is new." She took in the sight of Elena and Damon with a grim smile. "Katherine told me to expect a surprise, but this was not what I was expecting." She glanced at Alaric and smiled. "Hello Ric."

He didn't say anything he just nodded once.

Damon and Elena stood and faced Isobel. "So I see you chose Damon…I knew you would." She chuckled.

Elena crossed her arms and steeled her gaze on her mother. "We didn't call you here to discuss my love life. We have questions." She stated firmly.

Isobel canter her head to the side. "I figured this wasn't a social call." She waited for them to continue.

"Someone is walking around town looking like Damon." Elena started. "and not just similar…identical to him. He approached me today. He made a big deal about wanting me to go somewhere with him." She explained.

Isobel shrugged offhandedly. "It could be a glamour."

Damon frowned. "Who would be capable of that?"

"Someone with a lot of power. A warlock maybe." She suggested. "The only other thing that would be capable of taking over someone's form is a shapeshifter."

"Never heard of it." Damon claimed.

Isobel gave him a look of impatience. "That's because they're rare and virtually undetectable. They can shift into any living or breathing thing."

Damon smiled sarcastically. "Well I'm not living or breathing."

Isobel rolled her eyes skyward. "And yet you exist."

Elena sighed and sucked her bottom lip nervously. "We should be able to tell them apart, though right? Damon has his ring." She pointed out with hope.

Isobel shrugged. "That's true…but we can't count on that. Shapeshifters have remarkable abilities. Not only can they use your body, but they can use your mind too. If it makes physical contact with a host it can remember your memories as you do. It can be anything it wants, so be wary of everyone." She declared, looking at Elena with contained worry etching her face.

Lucia waltzed through the door; calling out to them as she entered the living room. "So that was a total bust…whoever this guy is went in hiding for the night." She stopped when she saw Isobel turn around to face her. "What the hell is she doing here?" she glared at the other woman speeding right up to her until she was an inch away from her face.

Isobel didn't move at all. "Lucia." She greeted with a sly smirk.

Elena looked wide-eyed at the scene in front of her. "You know Isobel?"

Lucia's hard gaze never moved from Isobel's as she spoke. "We met about a year ago. I was about to kill John Gilbert but she saved his ass!" she snarled, the veins under her eyes popping out.

Damon lightly nudged me. "See I'm not the only one that wanted to kill him."

Elena stared at him, before looking at Lucia again. "Why did you want to kill John?" she asked curiously.

"Because he killed Harper." She ground out before speeding upstairs.

Everyone looked confused except for Isobel who looked bored and Damon who looked distressed. "What was that all about?"

Isobel shrugged a shoulder. "Don't know, don't care."

Damon looked at the fire burning. "Harper was the vampire that turned her…she was in love with him." He slowly made his way upstairs after his sister, knowing what it was like to lose someone you loved. In her case she probably still did.

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Mystic Falls 1864

Lucia walked up the hill to the spot she knew Damon would be. It was under a large willow tree that had a great view of the grounds. She could see the stable boys feeding the horses and the servants tending to the gardens. She plopped down next to Damon who was reading.

"Father says I'll be married by next week." She blurted out. "I completely loathe the idea…but you know father." She huffed.

Damon closed the book and turned to her. "I do. If I had it my way you would stay here in your home, unwed…a spinster forever." He teased, laughing when she playfully pushed him.

"I would prefer it, actually! The mere thought of Franklin Fell makes me repulsed." She grumbled looking out to the gardens. She caught the gaze of a man starting at her. "Who is that man?" she asked Damon curiously.

Damon smiled. "Oh that's Harper…he serves Katherine." His smile widened when Katherine was led out to the gardens by Emily.

"He's staring at me." She commented in awe. She had never had a man so blatantly stare at her…especially a man that was suppose to be below her stature.

Damon frowned and started to stand. "I'll take care of it immediately."

Lucia placed a hand on his arm to stop him, her eyes still trained on the man staring at her. "No need, brother. It's quite alright…it doesn't bother me any." She finally pulled her eyes away to smile at Damon.

He nodded and stood, pulling Lucia up to her feet. He glanced back out to the gardens to see Katherine staring at him with lust in her eyes and a flirty smile. "I must be taking my leave of you Lucia. Katherine will be expecting me." He kissed her on the cheek.

Lucia shook her head. "Both of my brothers wrapped around her finger. Don't you see what she's doing?"

Damon gave her a giddy smile. "I love her Lucia…one day you will know what that means." He strolled down the hill and towards Katherine, who offered her hand to him, which he ardently kissed.

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The next few days went by uneventfully. Elena opted to stay at the Boarding House instead of going to school, and Damon never left her side. Isobel vowed to stay close, saying that she would dig up as much as she could.

Elena was a little worried. She hadn't heard from Stefan since he got back, and she hoped everything was okay. She knew Damon was concerned too, even though he would never admit it.

Now Elena lay in bed facing Damon who was sound asleep. He looked so sweet and innocent as he slept; like a little boy. It was great to wake up next to him every morning. She was staying here a lot, and on the nights she did stay at home Damon would wait for her to come upstairs before crawling into bed with her.

"You're staring again." He mumbled with a sly smile that she could barely see, being half covered by the pillow his face was mashed against.

Elena smiled. "I'm gazing."

"It's creepy." He whined teasingly.

"It's romantic." She corrected, leaning forward to kiss him.

Damon pulled her into his arms and spooned her from behind. "Morning beautiful! Mmm…you smell nice." he mumbled into her hair. "Like jasmine and vanilla…

Elena giggled and turned around in his arms and narrowing her gaze. "What do you want?" she asked knowing he was buttering her up.

"Why would you assume that I want something? Can I not compliment my girlfriend?" he asked feigning innocence and disappointment, as he cuddled further into her.

"You can…but not like that, not without wanting something." She told him smiling in victory when he sighed.

"I've gotta head out for a bit." He caught her pout, and rubbed his thumb against her bottom lip. "Are you gonna be okay here?" he asked in concern. He knew she wasn't comfortable without him there. Lucia was there but she was always in and out.

She nodded reluctantly. "Where are you going?"

Damon let his eyes dart away from hers, faking indifference. "Just to check on Stefan…I haven't seen him since he got back." Damon furrowed squinted at her. "Don't give me that look."

Elena grinned. "You miss him." She confirmed.

Damon rolled his eyes and sat up, throwing his legs off the bed. "I don't miss him. I just want to make sure that he's handling everything okay." He picked up the jeans that were sitting on a chair in the corner and slipped them on.

Elena sat up holding the sheet to her bare chest, nodding slowly. "You mean if he's handling 'us' okay." She corrected.

Damon pulled a black shirt over his head and sat back on the bed next to her. "Yeah." He ran his fingers up and down her exposed thigh. "You wanna come with me?"

She shook her head. "It's probably best if I don't. You and Stefan need to talk alone."

"Well if everything goes okay maybe I'll bring him back with me. I love you." Damon leaned in to kiss her, and brush a few strands of her hair behind her ear.

Elena gazed at him with loving eyes. "I love you too." She kissed quickly again before he stood up and headed for the door. "Hurry back please."

"Okay." He replied. It was only seconds later when she heard the front door close behind him.

Elena decided to get up and dressed, and to make herself a coffee. She busied herself for the next ten minutes by looking over the books Alaric left here. She heard the front door close and frowned when Damon walked through the door. "Well that was fast." she commented apprehensively.

Damon plopped down in the chair beside her in the kitchen. "Yeah he wasn't there." He said frowning wondering where his brother was.

"Oh." Elena's eyes darted to his left hand and she was relieved to see his ring there.

Damon caught her gaze. "You think I'm him don't you?" he asked sadly.

"Well you got back pretty quick, it was a little suspicious." She explained feeling stupid.

Damon smirked a little. "You asked me to hurry. Plus I turned on my turbo boost." He told her resting his hand over hers on the table.

Elena shook her head, and let her hair frame her face. "Sorry. I shouldn't be so paranoid."

Damon's face soon became one of concern. "Elena I forgot to tell you this morning, I talked to Alaric yesterday and he told me a little more about this shapeshifter stuff." She shifted uncomfortably.

Elena leaned in, in interest. "What did he say?"

"That the longer he's using my body, the worse things are going to get for us." He stated grimly.

Elena shook her head in confusion. "What does that mean, Damon?"

Damon dropped his gaze to the table. "He already knows my thoughts, and my memories; it won't be long before he starts feeling my…emotions." He forced out through a clenched jaw. Elena squeezed his hand with both of hers and smiled comfortingly when he looked up at her. "He's going to feel…what I feel for you." He uttered quietly.

Elena took a deep breath and let it out, trying to calm her now racing heartbeat. "Well that's not scary at all." She stated dryly. Damon didn't laugh or smile though.

He looked her straight in the eye. "I know it's going to be hard and things real suck right now, but with Alaric and Isobel's help we can figure out how to take this thing down okay? I promise." He vowed kissing her forehead.

Elena nodded. "Okay." She whispered.

Damon ran his hand down her cheek. "I love you."

Elena smiled. She loved how he said those words all the time. "I love you too."

He stood up and walked behind her chair, placing his hands on her shoulders and leaning to speak in her ear. "I'm gonna take a shower…wanna join me?"

Elena looked up at him. "I'll be up in a bit." She watched him walk up the stairs and she started putting the books away. Stefan walked into the kitchen and gave her a small smile, shoving his hands in his sweater pockets. "Stefan! Um, Damon was looking for you earlier."

Stefan rolled his eyes humorously. "I know."

Elena's head snapped up when she heard the front door slam. "Elena! You will never believe what I caught Stefan doing…not brooding!" he called out as he wandered into the kitchen.

Elena blinked and her heart rate jumped alerting the two vampires in the room. Her chin trembled and her chest started heaving with shuddered breaths as she came to a realization. "Oh my God." She whimpered. Her hand shook as she brought it to her mouth.

Damon was immediately at her side. "What? What's wrong?" he turned her face up to him.

Elena's eyes were wide and held unshed tears. "It was him…I thought he was you. Damon he knows everything! He knows us, he knows about Alaric and Isobel…" she trailed off in shock.

Damon's face was filled with rage, shock and concern. "Where is he?" he snarled, his face changing before her.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Upstairs." She rasped.

Both Damon and Stefan rushed up to Damon's bedroom and into the adjoining bathroom to find the shower running. They both came back downstairs.

Stefan shook his head. "He's gone."

Elena calmed herself before speaking. "He told me something." She started slowly. "He said that the longer he's in your body the worse it's going to get for us. He already has your memories Damon, soon he's going to start feeling you're emotions too, if he hasn't already." Elena stepped close to him so there were only a few inches separating them. "He made a point of letting me know that he would feel for me, what you did." She said quietly afraid on his reaction to that. She felt his entire body tense and could hear the growl rumbling in his chest.

Elena reached for him but he turned away looking at Stefan. "Call Isobel and Bonnie. I'm gonna track him, and kill him." He claimed storming towards the armoire, and grabbing some weapons.

Stefan crossed his arms. "Damon we don't know everything about this guy yet. You can't go into this half-cocked." He exclaimed, watching his brother zip around the house.

"Better half-cocked than not-cocked." He replied.

Elena grabbed his arm as he walked past her. "Stefan's right, Damon. This guy is dangerous!" Her eyes pleaded with him to understand.

His icy blue eyes hardened. "And so am I!" he gently pulled out of her grasp, and continued filling a bag of weapons.

"Damon, please!" Tears threatened to spill onto her cheeks. "Let's just wait this out…" she tried.

Damon sped up to her and looked at her with a mirage of emotions written all over his face; hurt, rage, violation…fear. "And wait for what Elena…another opportunity for him to come after you? No…this ends tonight." He promised strongly before disappearing upstairs.

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Lucia sat at a bar twirling her straw around in her drink. She'd been trying so hard to shut off her sadness. The loneliness she felt when she realized she was alone, but seeing Isobel made her think of why she came to Mystic Falls the first time. She had wanted to get Harper out. During their traveling, Damon had mentioned that he planned on finding a way to open the tomb and get Katherine out. Lucia made a promise to herself that she would be there when it happened so she could be with Harper. But things didn't go the way she expected.

He was staying with Pearl and the others. Older vampires that probably blamed her and her family for being locked up for a hundred and fifty years. She couldn't risk it; she would wait until he was on his own before she approached him. But the chance never came. John killed him before she could do that.

She gulped down her drink and thought about the day that changed everything.

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Mystic Falls 1864

Lucia snuck out of her chambers in the Fell mansion. Her body still ached from giving birth only a few days ago, but she knew she wouldn't have another chance soon. She crept into the nursery, giving her child a quiet and tearful goodbye, before hastily and deftly making her way out into the courtyard where he was waiting. She pulled up her skirts and took his hand as he led her through the woods.

She had been feeding from him for the last few days, preparing for this day. Harper was going to turn her. They were going to escape from Jonathan Gilbert, her father and the other council members, and be free to live as they wished.

Lucia knew Katherine had planned the same fate for her brothers as well. Harper had filled her in on what Damon had not.

There were almost at the clearing before the lake when they stopped. Harper smiled at her lovingly. "I'm glad you came."

Lucia touched his dark cheek. "Always." She frowned when he went slack and fell to the ground. Her father stood behind him with a relieved look on his face.

"Thank the Lord you are okay. You're safe now Lucia." He tried to step closer but she stepped back and tripped over a root.

"No…what did you do?" Lucia crawled to him, but he was hoisted up by two men.

"Vervain. It is toxic to vampires." Giuseppe explained. "You must hurry home. I can't afford any more of my children getting hurt.

Lucia's eyes widened. "Damon and Stefan?" she questioned.

"Gone…dead." He stated coldly. "They were assisting a vampire in an escape! They were dead to me the moment they decided she was worth saving."

"Then I will be dead to you too!" she cried out in anguish, running into the clearing and falling to a heap. She cried for her lover, for her brothers…for the man her father could never be.

Lucia numbly stood up and walked towards the water. She stepped in, trying to block out the screams and loud noises of guns and her dresses touched the surface. She let herself submerge, forcing her body to stay down as she struggled against her better judgment. Five minutes felt like it took hours, but soon her body succumbed to the deep abyss…everything going black around her.

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A/N: Okay so a couple of things: First of all I can't believe you guys with all you're reviews! There were a few of you that caught on to where I was going with this! You guys get gold stars! For those of you that still don't quite understand everything yet, I'm dragging it out to tease you lol.

Second of all, just so everyone knows for the sake of this story, Katherine came to Mystic Falls at the beginning of the year and the Church fire happened at the end of the year. That gives Lucia enough time to get married, fall in love with Harper, and have a child. Of course they didn't waste time back then anyways lol.

And lastly, I know that part with Elena gazing happened with Stefan, but it didn't in this story….i think it was more of a Damon thing to say anyways. Hope you liked it, I'll most likely post the next chapter tomorrow!

Vanessa