You Lost Me

Chapter Two - Denial

It hurt. She had to admit it hurt. She was stubborn and she kept saying to herself that it was for the best. That nobody should miss a reckless vampire in their lives. Someone that didn't care for any human life, no matter how much her heart told her otherwise. Her heart. She blamed it all on the figurative organ. She shouldn't be in pain. It shouldn't hurt. She shouldn't miss him that much.

She missed everything. His smug smirk, his witty comments, his colossal ego, his careless behavior but especially his eyes. She's learned to read those eyes better than she should. They were the only slit in his perfect mask. He cared. His eyes showed that he cared. The way he apologized in the porch. She couldn't take those images away from her mind. And she hated herself for it. She knew Katherine got under his skin. He had admitted that she visited him before he headed to her house that night and killed her brother. It was part of her nature, of who she was to always see the good in people and to always believe in their ability to redeem themselves but she couldn't forget the pain in her chest as her brother fell on the floor. She still gasped for air when she remembered of it. She wished she had a humanity switch too. It'd make this whole situation so much easier. But she kept her resolve. She wouldn't forgive Damon. He has lost her forever and she should come to terms with it. There was no reason for her to feel bad about it and she kept repeating in her head that the only reason why she missed him was because he was genuinely a friend before it all went downhill. Everybody warned her about getting too close to Damon and now she wishes she had listened because if she had, she wouldn't miss what she lost so much.

Putting her best 'I-don't-care' face she entered the boarding house. She was waiting for Stefan who called her saying that he'd be late to their movie session because Caroline has had some relapse. It was hard for them. Dealing with Katherine popping every now and then and the werewolf, they also had to deal with Caroline and nobody could really help her but Stefan. Bonnie in a very Damon fashion washed her hands, though she should feel a little bit worse about it as she was adamant about Damon giving his blood to Caroline to start with but the witch fired back saying that the only reason her friend has needed it was because they had to take care of the vampires Damon released from the tomb. Elena didn't even try to convince her otherwise. She knew it was pointless.

The moment she stepped inside the house, she felt something different. She couldn't put her finger on what it was but she knew something was off.

"We finally meet" Katherine announced as she entered the living room, coming from upstairs.

"Katherine" Elena whispered before turning around and looking at her doppelganger. Probably her ancestor.

"I should consider moving" Damon grimaced as he came from the same route the vampire did before him did.

"And what are you going to do? Move in with a human so I can't get inside?" Katherine turned around. She has come to see him but she didn't find him. She's seen Stefan leaving. She knew he would after her meeting with Caroline not many minutes earlier.

"Nah, don't flatter yourself Kat. Just because I can't stomach your figure it doesn't mean I'll go that low. It's just my natural resistance to manipulating bitches but it works as any other allergy, all you have to do is be kept away from it" he nonchalantly added as he walked to the drinks cart and got himself some scotch. The best he had. Seeing both of the women he despised in his living room needed a good dose of his best liquor.

"You miss me, Damon" she moved in super speed and grabbing him from behind she slip her hands in his chest seductively.

"Right, I miss being used as much as I miss the 30's, Kat. Now if you excuse me, I have girls awaiting me" he quipped and downing another shot he took his leather jacket that was in the couch arm and headed to the door.

"Wait, Damon, are you going to leave me with her?" Elena tried to cover her apprehension and fear and while she did it well the edge in her voice showed that it actually hurt her to know that he would dismiss her safety like that.

"I don't see a problem, Elena. You two have so much in common I'm sure you can even exchange some tricks, you know, improve your repertoire" he offered his trademark smirk. Elena kept looking to his eyes and they were just cold and sarcastic as his words and the rest of his demeanor. "Now if you want to check if the cover package is exactly the same, I'd advise you to wait for Stefan I'm sure he has kept notes on both of you. It must be an interesting comparison" he moved his index finger to his chin as if he was thinking about it and then looked to both of them smirking broadly before he disappeared.

"I can only imagine what perfect little Elena did to hurt Damon that much. Not even during the century and a half he looked for me he seemed so… wrecked" Katherine smiled as she purposefully took the same glass Damon has just discarded in the cart and licked the border closing her eyes, clearing tasting his savor, not the beverage's.

"Did you actually sit around to watch him hurting for you? How can you be such a bitch?" Elena immediately took Damon's side. She didn't even know why she was defending him. When she noticed it the words had already left her mouth and Katherine was shaking her head as she took step after step towards Elena.

"Let me clarify something to you that you may have misunderstood. The Salvatore's are mine. And time will prove it. They love me and both were entertained by you for a while and deluded themselves thinking they love you but we'll see who they'll turn to in the end. I have eternity, Elena. I gave it to them, my blood run in theirs just like theirs run in mine. We have a bond that not even a clone like you can break. I had my reasons to go away briefly but I'm back here to watch them making their choice. It's funny how they always thought I had to choose and then they're the ones making decisions. But that's assuming there's actually any choice to make because as I see it infatuation and love were never really competition" the vampire kept a smile in her face and such enthusiasm as if she was telling her best friend how her soul mate has surprised her with a proposal.

"They'll never choose you. I guess they're not the delusional one here" Elena retorted. She knew it wasn't wise. Actually it wasn't smart at all to confront Katherine like that.

"You see… there's something interesting going on that I guess you didn't catch yet. They know me Elena, they know what they see is what they get and even after the little wait and the small lie I told them, Damon is actually talking to me. He acknowledges me, he even let me touch that ivory and I must add delicious body of his. Last I've heard his first words to you in a whole month had been the ones that I led him to say a few minutes ago" Katherine kept one hand in her waist as she pointed her index finger to Elena at first and then in the air as if she was drawing her theory in an invisible board. "One-Original, zero-Copy. Before you see it, Stefan will be in arms professing his undying love. Send him my best regards" she wrinkled her nose and just like that she was gone, leaving only whiff.

If Katherine planned to plant an idea at Elena's head she has successfully accomplished. In fact Damon seemed much more dismissive about her than he did about Katherine. Although his words were filled with venom and disdain still he talked to her. It was as if he couldn't stop himself of doing so and she has paid special attention when Katherine embraced him. He hasn't as much as flinched at her touch. Elena was so engulfed in her mind that she didn't realize Stefan entering the house.

"Katherine is around" his voice brought her back from her trance.

"Actually she's just left" Elena looked to him and he could see she was hurting. Elena was so easy to read. Her eyes were always the answer. Not the way they looked but how much bright they carried. Even in the worst moments, rarely he's seen her looking like this. Struggling and hurting, yes, but hopeless and defeated not so much.

"What happened, did she hurt you?" he was immediately by her side, sliding his hands on her arms and trying to catch any physical damage.

"No. Nothing. She did nothing different but repeating you both love her and you both will be back to her at some point" Elena sighed as she looked down. Why did she actually think for a little bit that the vampire was right in her assessment?

"Elena, I never loved Katherine, I was compelled and I won't start now. I don't want her. I only want you, I love you. I thought we got over that" Stefan moved his hand to her cheek, cupping it while he held the soft and warm gaze she was used to.

"But Damon has every reason to hate her. He really loved her, Stefan, he wasn't compelled and she abandoned him and fooled him and I saw how much he wanted just to kill her but when she came, he was here and he let her touch him, he talked to her. He acknowledged her. I guess the hate is wearing down and the next thing is love being rebuilt" Elena let the tears that she had held for a month to finally roll down. Did Damon think she was worse than Katherine? He didn't even look at her but he had no problem talking to the vampire even with such despise but he at least talked to her. Elena couldn't take the cold shoulder treatment anymore. Just because she didn't want to be friends with him, it didn't mean she pretended he died to her or something because that was how he made her feel, especially as he handled Katherine so well, wearing his always present mask. But she knew under the mask he cared and that was why he treated Katherine so bad. But with her he didn't have masks; he didn't pull faces or attacked her with words. He didn't keep a façade or tried to hurt her. He did nothing. It was like she wasn't deserving of any of his emotions, not even hate and it deeply hurt. At least she hated him. She nurtured feelings for him even if they were hatred.

"I'm not Damon and you're not Katherine. They play their games but it doesn't have anything to do with us, Elena. Do you actually expect me to act like Damon?" Stefan was surprised but he covered it very well with his tenderness as he talked to her.

"No I don't. You'd never be like him but she seems so sure about it"

"She's trying to get under your skin, as she does with everybody else. She got Caroline to attack another civilian. That's how she operates Elena. She sees a crack and that's where she aims. She knows yours, she knows you're intrigued about how you can look just like her and she suspects you might be insecure about being only a replacement but you can't let her do it, Elena, I love you, I never loved her, I want you, only you, okay?" his voice was calm but also fierce. He wanted her to see that he only loved her and he also needed to teach her how to be less susceptible to Katherine's games.

Elena only nodded and let him embrace her. She believed him, she never really thought otherwise. Her fears about being second best to Stefan were long forgotten and she knew in her heart that he'd always belong to her. He's made an incredible job at making her believe so. But if she really didn't believe Stefan would leave her to go back to Katherine why her words had been engraved in Elena's mind and she felt like she was losing something?

Damon decided to skip cities for the night. He didn't want to get Liz any more suspicious about vampires as her own daughter gave her many reasons to don't forget about them. Every now and then some resident went missing and not even in his days many people disappeared like in the past month. And finding a man in front of the hospital with twin holes in his neck the other day only made those suspicions stronger.

He needed a night like the ones he used to have. A lot of alcohol and women really willing to feed his every need. He needed to get laid. It wasn't only about the 'frozen food' diet he's taking for months. Surely he wanted some fresh blood but he needed to have sex. Mind blowing sex. An entire night of lascivious and wild sex. He needed a woman to rock his world and he needed it to be rocked pretty hard.

It was a Friday night, so finding hot girls in the bar in a city in the neighborhood was pretty easily. Taking a quick glance he could see that he'd have whatever he wanted: blond, redheads, brunettes, vixens, virgins, curvy, elegant skinny or voluptuous. All he needed was to pick the dish of night and seeing how he really needed them to keep his distracted he concentrated in the naughtiest. He didn't need any reservations tonight.

He finally spotted his aim for the night. Curly redhead, bountiful cleavage, never ending legs and a nice ass. He couldn't ask for more, there was even this mischievous look that made him think she'd be a master on bed, just like him, the perfect match.

Approaching Carla was easy and she proved to be very charming and seductive without being easy or cheap. His flair was as sharp as ever and it somehow relieved him though he had no idea why. It wasn't like he thought he lost any of his touch or looked any less dashing or gorgeous.

But the night had a little surprise to him and for that Damon Salvatore didn't expect.

AN: here the update.

Yeah, I'm adding someone to Damon - even if only for sex - because honestly I think it's a waste do not explore Ian's body and second because Elena has Stefan, so Damon deserves at least sex :P

I love this Katherine/Elena interaction and there's more coming and I'm totally up to suggestions.

I want to thank to Jenbanks71, SoUtHeRnBeLLe706, TTMJEA, Lily, lizzie, Avecia, niadk, Yulia.11.11, Valtjuh and shadylady21 for the reviews. I love it guys, keep them coming.

I'll update 'Alive' tomorrow, don't worry, just a busy week.

Talk to you soon

Babi